On the eve of the U-19 Women’s World Cup final, India’s coach Nooshin Al Khadeerr called captain Shafali Verma on the phone.The two chatted for a while, discussing strategies for Sunday’s summit game against England. .
Towards the end of the conversation, when Shafali returned to her teammate, Nooshin said to her, “We didn’t win the 2005 World Cup here [in South Africa], but I want you to lift the trophy tomorrow.
A former India international, Nooshin was a member of the Indian women’s team that reached the final of the 2005 Women’s World Cup, heading to Australia with the Centurions. The Indian women’s team reached the final many times, but failed to break the title curse at the ICC event, and Nooshin pinned her hopes on Shafali and her gang.
Their wards made Nooshin’s dream come true by defeating England in the final to win the first edition of the U-19-T20 World Cup. “Even when I go on the field, I remember her words every day and she makes me understand something new every day. said while
“She knows how to motivate players and motivate teams. I would love to see her again and will miss her as her coach,” Shafali said.
Shafali turned 19 on Saturday and it was the perfect gift for the youngster. While she was content to make history, the Indian team had an extended session with Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra before the game. “He [Chopra] gave us a lot of motivation. He shared his experience with us, which was very important before the final. He said we have come to a point where we are fighting the odds and we need to give 100 per cent in the final. His words motivated us and we learned a lot from him,” said the captain. rice field. Shafari also dedicated the title to her father, who has helped her throughout her career, and after leading India to a historic title win, Shafari’s focus has now shifted to the Women’s World Cup, which begins in South Africa on February 10. increase.
“I have been focused on the U-19 World Cup and the win. I want to focus on the next World Cup and get used to the conditions.” In 2020, shortly after losing to Australia in the T20 World Cup final in Melbourne, Shafali could not hold back tears, and she burst into tears again after writing an article on Sunday. I was in tears, but today they were tears of joy and happiness. We achieved what we came here for. I tried to hold back my tears, but I couldn’t,” she said with a smile.