Shafali Verma’s Historic Ton Powers India Into Asian Games Cricket Final

Nisshin, Sep 22: Shafali Verma produced a record-breaking batting display as India defeated Bangladesh by 114 runs in the women’s cricket semifinal at the 2026 Asian Games on Sunday, booking a place in the gold medal match against Sri Lanka.

Shafali smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 49 deliveries to become the first cricketer to score a century in the women’s competition at the Asian Games. Her innings was built around three fours and nine sixes as India posted an imposing 195 for four in 20 overs.

The century was particularly significant because it came in a knockout match and helped India recover from the loss of an early wicket while maintaining an aggressive scoring rate throughout the innings.

Shafali dominated the Bangladesh attack from the outset. Her ability to find the boundary regularly put India in control of the contest and gave the middle order the platform to finish strongly. She reached the landmark without being dismissed, underlining the authority of her innings.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur also made an important contribution, scoring 40 from 33 balls with six boundaries. Smriti Mandhana added 37 from 19 deliveries at the top of the order, giving India a rapid start.

Mandhana’s innings also carried a separate statistical milestone. With her 37-run contribution, she moved past former New Zealand batter Suzie Bates to become the leading run-scorer in T20I cricket across men’s and women’s international cricket. Mandhana’s tally reached 4,788 runs from 171 innings.

Shafali’s nine sixes also took her tally of maximums in women’s T20Is during 2026 to 35. That moved her past Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu’s previous calendar-year record of 32 sixes, set in 2024.

The Bangladesh innings never managed to build the momentum required for a successful chase. India’s bowlers repeatedly struck at crucial moments, leaving Bangladesh without a substantial partnership.

Nandni Sharma and Deepti Sharma were the leading wicket-takers, claiming three wickets each, while Sree Charani added two. India eventually dismissed Bangladesh for 81 in 15.4 overs.

Bangladesh’s chase suffered an early setback when Nandni Sharma removed Juairiya Ferdous with her first delivery. Further wickets followed at regular intervals, preventing the opposition from establishing a stable partnership.

Captain Nigar Sultana was dismissed for nine by Sree Charani, while Dilara Akter provided Bangladesh’s main resistance with a 27-run knock. However, India’s disciplined bowling kept the required scoring rate out of reach.

Deepti Sharma completed the formalities by taking the final two wickets in the 15th over, ending the contest with Bangladesh at 81 all out.

The 114-run victory sent India into another Asian Games final against Sri Lanka. The matchup is a repeat of the previous edition’s gold-medal contest and also follows the teams’ meeting in the Women’s Asia Cup final.

For India, the result continued a strong campaign in the women’s T20 competition. The team entered the knockout stage with the objective of defending its Asian Games title and now has an opportunity to add another gold medal to its cricket record.

The semifinal also highlighted the growing impact of Shafali in India’s T20 setup. Her unbeaten century not only settled the match but also established several records in a single innings.

Her performance came at an important stage of the tournament, with India needing a major contribution from its top order to set Bangladesh a demanding target. The opener responded by taking the attack to the bowlers and maintaining her scoring pace deep into the innings.

The Indian bowlers then ensured that the advantage was never surrendered. Their ability to take wickets regularly meant Bangladesh were unable to turn the chase into a competitive contest.

India will now face Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match on September 22. Bangladesh, meanwhile, will play Pakistan for the bronze medal.

The final will give India another opportunity to defend the title it won at the previous Asian Games. Sri Lanka will enter the contest after also progressing through the knockout stage, setting up another meeting between two of the leading teams in women’s cricket in the region.

The result in Nisshin therefore carried significance beyond India’s place in the final. It was a record-setting individual performance from Shafali, another milestone for Mandhana and a comprehensive team display that combined aggressive batting with disciplined bowling.

With the gold medal now within reach, India heads into the final with its campaign still unbeaten and its batting and bowling units both contributing strongly at crucial moments.