‘Tears of joy’ for Shafali Verma as India drub England to win inaugural U-19 Women’s World Cup | Cricket News

Shafali Verma I couldn’t hold back my tears when I raised the opening glass of the ICC U-19 female World Cup trophy in Potchefstroom, South Africa on Sunday.
When soumya tiwari punched Hannah Baker through the cover to help India beat England with seven championships while trailing only 69, this is the first time an Indian women’s team has won the ICC trophy, showing the impressive growth of women’s cricket in India.

For Shafali, already a seasoned international cricketer at the age of 19, it evokes painful memories in Melbourne three years ago when India beat Australia in the T20World Cup final.

“The 2020 finals were a very emotional moment for me. When I joined the under-19 team, I just thought we needed to win this World Cup. I’m going to miss this batch. They gave me a perfect birthday present,” Shafali, who turned 19 a day before the final, told the media.

It is hoped that this victory will be a catalyst for the growth of women’s cricket at the grassroots level.

“Yes, women’s cricket has reached a point where young girls will take female cricketers as role models before naming male cricketers,” Shafali replied to a question from TOI.

“BCCI has invested a lot of money in women’s cricket. Our mission now is to win more and more tournaments. Women’s cricket will grow with each tournament. We know we have to work hard. to do that. But we have to be equally good at men’s cricket,” she added.

Shafali and Richa Ghosh, who have played in senior World Cups, should have carried this U-19 team on their shoulders. Instead, as Shafali mentioned, it’s hard hitting Shweta Sehrawatfoot runner Parshavi Chopra and middle speed runner Titas Sadhu who laid the foundation for this historic moment. Titas set the tone on Sunday by hitting the ball from the game’s fourth ball before finishing his spell 2/6. Parshavi and Archana Devi return metrics of 2/13 and 2/17 respectively.

The Indian girls also impressed on the pitch, possibly with Gingadi Trisha’s catch dashing forward to knock out the England captain grace Scrivens for a long time or Archana Devi’s superb goal in the backline to knock out Ryana MacDonald-Gay.

If this U-19 World Cup is a springboard for aspiring young girls, it’s an opportunity for the likes of Shafali and the coach. Nooshin Al Khadeer to solve the score. While Shafali corrected for the T20 final three years ago, Nooshin also lost to India in the World Cup final here in 2005. It was the first time an Indian women’s team had reached the World Cup final.

“I will confidently head towards the high-level T20 World Cup this month. I didn’t think about the high-level World Cup during the U-19 World Cup. But I will be on the field when I join the senior team next year. February 3″. ,” Shafali stated while insisting that she is not done winning world titles.
The Neeraj Chopra . Effect
India’s javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra proved to be a key factor behind Sunday’s win. The Tokyo Olympics gold medalist visited the girls on the eve of the final. He also watched the match on the ground. “We all know what he did for the country. He motivated us. He shared his experience of playing in a big final,” Shafali said.