Shefali Verma awarded by ICC Player of the Month

ICC Player of the Month: It's a proud moment for Indian cricket! Young and explosive opener Shafali Verma has been named the ICC Women's Player of the Month for November 2025 for her brilliant and decisive performance.

She has received this honor for her all-round performance against South Africa in the final of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, which played a key role in India's maiden ICC Women's World Cup title. In the title clash at the DY Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai), Shafali not only blazed with the bat but also turned the match around with her off-spin bowling.

Shefali's record-breaking performance in the final

Shefali's performance on the biggest stage of pressure, the World Cup final, was memorable. She took responsibility and opened the innings and:

• Batting: Played a brilliant innings of 87 runs, the highest score of her ODI career so far.
• Partnership: Together with Smriti Mandhana, she shared a crucial 104-run partnership for the first wicket, which laid the foundation for India's victory.
• Comeback: This was also her first ODI half-century in more than three years, proving her mental toughness.

Experts described Shafali's restrained yet aggressive performance as the turning point of the match.

Showed utility with both bat and ball

Shafali Verma didn't limit herself to just batting. Living up to captain Harmanpreet Kaur's trust, she rattled the South African batting order with her off-spin bowling:

• Bowling Stats: She took two crucial wickets for just 36 runs in seven overs.
• Key Victims: Her victims were experienced batsmen Sune Luus and the dangerous Marizanne Kapp, putting the South African team under pressure.

India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in this historic final, and Shefali Verma was named Player of the Match for her all-round performance.

The journey was full of challenges

Shefali Verma's success came after many challenges. She was not initially part of Team India's original World Cup squad and was also overlooked as a replacement for the injured Yastika Bhatia.

• Opportunity: She was selected as a replacement for the injured Pratika Rawal against Bangladesh.
• Comeback after defeat: She managed only 10 runs against Australia in the semi-final, but she refused to give up and answered her critics with her best performance in the final.

Shefali's emotional statement on the honour

After receiving this prestigious honour from the ICC, Shefali expressed her feelings:

My first Women's World Cup didn't go as I had imagined, but it ended up being more beautiful than I had expected. I am grateful to have been able to contribute to the team in the final and be a part of history in front of the home crowd.

She dedicated this award to the entire team, coaches, family, and everyone who supported her along the way.

Next Mission: Sri Lanka and WPL

After this big win, Shafali Verma will now focus on her next mission. She will be part of the Indian team in the five-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka, starting in Visakhapatnam on December 21. Additionally, she will continue to play for the Delhi Capitals (DC), who have retained her, in the Women's Premier League (WPL).