In a thrilling Women’s ODI World Cup final on Sunday, India’s young batting sensation, Shafali Verma, came agonizingly close to scoring a maiden century against South Africa, ultimately falling short after a spectacular innings. Having already impressed with a brilliant 87 runs off just 78 balls in the semifinal against Australia, Verma seemed destined for a hundred in this high-pressure match.
Her dismissal occurred in the 28th over. Ayabonga Khaka, the South African bowler, enticed Verma into a lofted shot, but she couldn’t generate enough elevation. Laura Wolvaardt’s team finally broke the formidable Indian opening stand when Sune Luus safely pouched the catch at mid-off. Verma departed after a dazzling 87 runs from 78 deliveries, an innings decorated with seven fours and two powerful sixes.
The incident that added a humorous twist to her dismissal unfolded earlier in the innings. As Verma was nearing her potential century, India’s seasoned spinner, R. Ashwin, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his excitement. He posted, “A big hundred from Shefali will put this final on track with the 2003 men’s World Cup final,” accompanying his tweet with a fingers-crossed emoji.
Mere minutes after Ashwin’s optimistic tweet, Verma’s wicket fell. Ashwin promptly reacted to his original post with a sad-face emoji, which immediately sparked a wave of light-hearted reactions across social media. Fans playfully accused him of ‘jinxing’ the young opener’s spectacular innings, drawing parallels between his well-intentioned tweet and the unfortunate timing of the wicket.
Despite the unexpected turn, India remained in a strong position, standing at 185 for 3 after 33 overs, with Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma at the crease, steadily rebuilding the innings after Verma’s and Jemimah’s departures.
While falling short of a triple-figure score, Shafali Verma’s remarkable 87-run innings undoubtedly stood out as one of the most crucial and entertaining highlights of India’s batting performance in the final.