Team India capped off 2025 in fantastic style, whitewashing Sri Lanka 5-0 in the home T20I series. A 15-run win in Thiruvananthapuram sealed the series, with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur winning the Player of the Match award.
Opener Shafali Verma failed to score big in the final game but was adjudged Player of the Series after amassing 241 runs in five innings, including three successive high-impact knocks.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Shafali said her goal is to keep improving as a player.
“My work throughout the year has paid off. I’m so happy that whatever I worked on I have been able to execute. But the way I got out tonight and in the first game, I wouldn’t want to repeat that. Want to contribute more to the team. The aim is to play long innings and become a better player every day. Sometimes everything you work on comes off, like 10 out of 10 which gives you a lot of confidence and sometimes it will be 5 out of 10. That pushes me to work harder and I will work harder to get better for the team,” she said.
Shafali had a quiet start to the series, scoring just nine runs in the opening match. She bounced back strongly in the second game with an unbeaten 69 off 34 balls, helping India register a comfortable win. The 21-year-old raised the bar further in the third match, scoring an unbeaten 79 off 42 balls to guide India to another convincing victory.
She continued her fine form in the fourth match with a 79 off 46 balls, adding a 162-run opening partnership with Smriti Mandhana, which helped India post a big total.
The right-handed batter also spoke about her fondness for the shortest format.
“T20 is my favourite, I like it a lot. Day by day I am improving and I will become a better player for the team,” she added.
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