Shafali Verma

Born on January 28, 2004, in Rohtak, Haryana, Shafali Verma is an electrifying opening batter and world-record-shattering international cricketer whose fearless, aggressive strokeplay revolutionized women's cricket on the global stage. Growing up in Rohtak, her love for the sport was ignited when her father, Sanjeev Verma, took her to watch Sachin Tendulkar play his final Ranji Trophy match at Lahli in 2013. Facing rigid social conventions and a complete absence of cricket academies for girls in her hometown, Shafali famously cut her hair short like a boy so she could train unnoticed at local boys' academies under her father’s coaching. Her raw hand-eye coordination, ferocious bat speed, and instinctive timing quickly made her an unstoppable force in domestic cricket. In September 2019, at just fifteen years and 239 days of age, Shafali earned her international debut for the Indian women's senior cricket team against South Africa, becoming the youngest Indian woman to play T20 Internationals. In November 2019, during a match against the West Indies in Gros Islet, she scored 73 runs off 49 balls, shattering Sachin Tendulkar's thirty-year-old national record to become the youngest Indian cricketer ever to score an international half-century at fifteen years and 285 days. At the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia, her destructive batting propelled India to the final and elevated her to the World No. 1 ranking in ICC Women's T20I batting. In January 2023, Shafali achieved another historic milestone as captain of the Indian national team at the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa, leading India to a resounding victory and securing the nation’s first-ever global women’s cricket trophy. A superstar for the Delhi Capitals in the Women's Premier League (WPL), Shafali Verma stands as a trailblazing icon of modern Haryanvi sporting courage, tenacity, and relentless athletic ambition. Her trailblazing journey from disguised boy cricketer in Rohtak to international sporting icon has dismantled deeply entrenched gender stereotypes across rural northern India. Shafali continues to carry the hopes of a billion cricket enthusiasts while exemplifying Haryana's golden athletic legacy.

Honors & Career Highlights