In a dazzling performance that helped seal India’s maiden Women’s World Cup title, opener Shafali Verma etched her name into the history books by becoming the youngest cricketer across both the men’s and women’s ODI World Cups to score a fifty in the final.
Her aggressive and crucial knock of 87 runs off 78 balls against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium came at the age of just 21 years and 278 days, setting the stage for India’s emphatic 52-run victory.
Shafali’s milestone innings, which included a century-opening stand with Smriti Mandhana, saw her comprehensively break several long-standing records:
| Category | Player | Score & Age | Previous Record |
| Overall World Cup (Men & Women) | Shafali Verma (India) | 87 at 21y 278d | Virender Sehwag (India) at 24y 154d (2003 Men’s Final) |
| Women’s World Cup Only | Shafali Verma (India) | 87 at 21y 278d | Jessica Duffin (Australia) at 23y 235d (2013 Final) |
| Indian Women’s Final | Shafali Verma (India) | 87 | Punam Raut (India) at 86 (2017 Final) |
Her blistering performance, which also saw her take two crucial wickets with her off-spin, earned her the Player of the Match award on a night of historic triumph for Indian cricket.
The opening batter’s heroics in the final capped off a fairytale return to the Indian ODI setup, having been recalled as a last-minute replacement in the squad. Her fearless approach and composure under pressure—delivering her career-best WODI score in the final—proved instrumental in helping India post a challenging total of 298/7.
“God sent me to do something good, and that was reflected today,” the 21-year-old said after the match, showcasing a journey of redemption and a historic victory for the nation.
