Sipu Jha
Shafali Verma fell agonisingly short of a century in the Women’s ODI World Cup final on Sunday, bringing an end to what had been a sparkling innings in a high-pressure match against South Africa. The right-hander, who was brought into India’s XI after an injury and had impressed with 87 off 78 balls in the semifinal against Australia, looked well on course for a maiden World Cup hundred before a miscued shot in the air. Her dismissal came in the 28th over when Ayabonga Khaka tempted her into a lofted shot. Shafali failed to get enough elevation, and Laura Wolvaardt’s side finally broke through after a strong Indian start. The catch was safely taken by South Africa’s Sune Luus at mid-off, sending the in-form batter back for 87 from 78 deliveries, with seven fours and two sixes. Earlier in the innings, when Shafali appeared set to reach three figures, India’s veteran spinner R. Ashwin had posted on X, “A big hundred from Shefali will put this final on track with the 2003 men’s World Cup final,” adding a fingers-crossed emoji.
R Ashwin’s post on X
Minutes later, after Shafali’s wicket fell, Ashwin reacted to his own post with a sad-face emoji, prompting fans to jokingly claim he had “jinxed” the young opener’s innings. At that stage, India looked firmly in control at 185 for 3 after 33 overs, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma at the crease, rebuilding the innings following Shafali’s and Jemimah’s dismissals.
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The timing of Ashwin’s post and Shafali’s wicket sparked a wave of light-hearted reactions online, as social media drew parallels between the spinner’s optimism and the timing of the twist in the match. Despite falling short of a century, Shafali’s innings remained one of the key highlights of India’s batting effort in the final.
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