“It was a bit of a gamble to actually pick her” - Nasser Hussain hails Shafali Verma for her all-round show in the final

Former England captain and commentator Nasser Hussain has heaped praise on the opening batter Shafali Verma, who came in as a replacement batter for Pratika Rawal, who injured her ankle during the league stage game against Bangladesh and was ruled out of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 campaign.

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Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, Hussain stated that, though Shafali burst onto the international scene, smashing every opponent in her own way, she was found to have a major concern against the short ball and was left out of the national squads.

However, Hussain asserted that it was a bit of a gamble from the Indian selection committee and the team management to pick Shafali as a replacement batter in a semi-final and a final, but he went on to praise her for putting up an exceptional fight in the grand finale. 

"She started her career in an incredible way. She burst on the scene, she was smashing everyone, and she had this sort of care-free attitude that you do have as a youngster," Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports.

"Then she got found out a little bit - especially by the short ball - opening the batting. People went at her with the short ball and, in this format, she had to be left out,” he added.

"Then Pratika Rawal had that injury and she came back in and I thought it was a bit of a gamble to actually pick her in a semi-final and then in a final, but she played brilliantly,” he stated.

"She batted brilliantly, and it was a bit of genius to bowl her as well. I don't know where that came from, but they bowled her and she was outstanding. A really good selection and really good for her to come back into it and play the way that she has," he concluded.

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While Shafali scored an 87-run knock as an opener in the final vs South Africa, she later scalped two important wickets with the ball in hand, emerging as the player of the match.

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