Navi Mumbai, Oct 29 (IANS) India opener batter Shafali Verma, who was added to Team India’s World Cup squad as the injured Pratika Rawal’s replacement, is confident of leaving an impact in the game if given a chance to play.

The 21-year-old was not considered for selection when the selection committee chose a squad for the global tournament, but an injury to opening batter Rawal led to Shafali being called up ahead of the all-important semi-final against Australia.

She acknowledged that it is challenging to come into the side directly in the knockout game, after a major part of the tournament is already done, and said that she looks forward to taking up the task, keep it simple, and perform to the best of her abilities.

“Of course it’s challenging if you come in directly in the semi-final. I think playing at home in a World Cup is a different motivation because of the huge crowd that’s cheering you. When you see a packed stadium, your feet start to move automatically as a sportsperson. Motivation is, a 100%, there. The simpler I keep it, the better I will perform.

“If god has sent me here, I’ll try to play my best game with the best intent, if I play, and try to do what the team needs, do what I do the best, and keep it simple. I’ll try and keep telling myself little things like ‘stay calm’ and ‘believe in yourself.’ These things will help, hopefully, and I’m doing well in practice, and hopefully things will get better for me,” Verma said in a video shared by the BCCI on Wednesday.

India, with three wins, three losses and one abandoned match from their seven games of the group stage, became the fourth and last team to seal a spot in the top four. A victory against New Zealand in a do-or-die encounter helped them seal a place in the semi-final as they booked themselves a date with defending champions Australia.

The two sides will square off in the second semi-final on Thursday here at the DY Patil Sports Academy.

— IANS

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