Shafali Verma's Stellar Performance Leads India to Women’s Asia Cup Final

In a thrilling semi-final match, Shafali Verma's remarkable 64 runs propelled India to a 40-run victory over Bangladesh, securing their spot in the Women’s Asia Cup final. Despite challenging batting conditions, Verma's performance was pivotal, as she capitalized on several dropped catches. India's bowlers, particularly the spin trio, effectively restricted Bangladesh's scoring. With this win, India aims for their eighth title in the upcoming final against either Pakistan or Sri Lanka. Discover more about this exciting match and Verma's standout performance.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 11, 2026, 00:17 IST

India Secures Spot in Women’s Asia Cup Final

Shafali Verma showcased her exceptional talent with a dazzling 64 runs off just 40 balls, propelling India to a decisive 40-run victory over Bangladesh in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-final on Thursday.

Despite the challenging batting conditions, Verma's impressive innings helped India post a total of 149 for five. She was fortunate to be dropped three times, capitalizing on these opportunities to punish the Bangladeshi bowlers.

Given the pitch conditions and India's bowling strength, the seven-time champions were well-positioned to defend their score, successfully restricting Bangladesh to 109 for 7 in their 20 overs.

Bangladesh's batting lineup struggled to pose a significant threat, with opener Juairiya Ferdous scoring 14 runs off 18 balls. Both Ferdous and her partner Dilara Akter (21 off 26) fell while trying to clear the mid-wicket boundary, with Kranti Gaud making a remarkable running catch to dismiss Akter.

In a repeat of previous matches, Pratika Rawal dropped a couple of catches, which could have further hindered India's performance.

The Indian spin trio, consisting of Deepti Sharma (3/26), Shree Charani (1/14), and Prema Rawat (1/21), excelled in the spin-friendly conditions.

This tournament has seen low scores largely due to the sluggish nature of the pitches, and India was confident that their total was sufficient.

India will face either Pakistan or Sri Lanka in the final scheduled for Sunday.

With a record of seven titles (four in 50-over and three in T20 formats), India stands as the most successful team in the tournament, having previously faced a surprising defeat to Sri Lanka in the last edition.

Earlier, Bangladesh's bowling attack, which had performed admirably throughout the tournament, managed to keep India's seasoned batters in check for most of the innings.

Four dropped catches by Bangladesh proved costly, as they could have restricted India to below 120 runs.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (24 not out off 28) struggled initially, scoring only four runs from her first 16 balls.

Verma's innings was a blend of skill and fortune, having been dropped on scores of 6, 11, and 56. While the top four batters struggled to maintain a strike rate above 100, Verma achieved an impressive strike rate of 160, hitting three sixes off the spinners.

Her innings featured a variety of shots, including a front-foot pull against pacer Marufa Akter, a reverse sweep, and powerful strikes down the ground against spinners.

India managed to reach 45 for one during the powerplay but found it difficult to accelerate in the middle overs.

Pratika Rawal, batting at number three, scored 20 runs off 24 balls, showing promise with a textbook cover drive off Akter and later hitting a six before being dismissed by the same bowler.

Richa Ghosh (21 off 16) also took time to settle in but contributed crucial runs, while skipper Harmanpreet found her rhythm towards the end with a couple of sixes.