“My father had a heart attack about two days before I got dropped” - India opener reveals shocking incident in the buildup to 2024 Australia tour

India women's team opening batter Shafali Verma has opened up about a testing time for her family when her omission from the national side coincided with her father suffering from a heart attack. The youngster was dropped from the squads for the tour of Australia in November 2024 after a poor run of form in the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup, and the home series against New Zealand.

Team India had announced the squad for the tour Down Under on November 18, 2024. Shafali Varma revealed that she hid the news of her exclusion from her father, Sanjeev Verma, who was hospitalized, and only told him a week later.

“It’s not easy to get over it. I didn’t want to reveal because my father had a heart attack about two days before I got dropped from the team. I hid the news from him till he got better. He was in the hospital. I told him a week later,” Shafali Verma told The Indian Express on the sidelines of the Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy.

After hearing the news, her father made it a point to help Shafali get back to the national side. Being her first coach, he prioritized training, and helped her prepare for the Senior Women's One Day Challenger Trophy, which began from January 5 onwards.

“Father knows everything, sometimes as kids even we forget our strengths but they don’t forget. He reminded me of the workouts and drills from my childhood, and helped me to do the same. When I started, we had these knocking drills – where I play on-drive, straight drive and that’s what I worked on. These are my strengths and sometimes you need to work on them to remember how good you are at them,” Shafali added.

Shafali Verma led India A to the finals of the Senior Women's One Day Challenger Trophy. She scored a quickfire 26 in the finals against the Sneh Rana-led India C at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The opener was adjudged the player of the tournament after being the leading scorer with 388 runs in four matches at an average of 97.

"I’ve learnt that if I can toughen up mentally, I can dominate international cricket" - India opener Shafali Varma

Team India used Priya Punia and Richa Ghosh as opening candidates in the Australia tour, while Uma Chetry opened the innings in the home series against the West Indies. Pratika Rawal has been partnering Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order in the last two ODI series against the West Indies and Ireland. The newcomer has made a strong start to her international career.

Shafali Verma has the upcoming Women's Premier League (WPL) campaign to look forward to with the Delhi Capitals. She was retained ahead of the mini-auction, and is slated to play a huge role for the franchise in the upcoming edition.

“I have played for two seasons under the foreign players in Delhi Capitals. I’ve learnt that if I can toughen up mentally, I can dominate international cricket. This was something I didn’t realise in the five years I spent in international cricket," Shafali said (as per the aforementioned source).

India's next international assignment comes in the form of a tour of England in June 2025.