GUWAHATI: The big-hitting Shafali Verma shone with the ball as she claimed a hat-trick for Haryana against Karnataka in the pre-quarterfinal of the Women's Under-23 ODI Trophy here.
The out-of-favour India batter, who bowls part-time off-spin, dismissed Saloni P and Soumya Verma off the last two balls of the 44th over on Monday.
She then returned in the 46th over to clean up Namita D'Souza's stumps with the very first delivery, completing a memorable hat-trick. She ended the match with figures of 3/20.
The 21-year-old's effort helped Haryana secure a six-wicket win and a spot in the quarterfinals.
The feat came just days after Shafali's Women's Premier League (WPL) side, Delhi Capitals, lost its third consecutive final.
Known for her aggressive batting style, the opener was dropped from the Indian team after the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year.
Since then, she has been piling up runs with remarkable consistency in domestic cricket as she aims for a national team comeback.
Shafali finished WPL as the fourth-highest run-scorer, behind overseas stars Nat Sciver-Brunt, Ellyse Perry, and Hayley Matthews.