Shafali Verma Shines with Maiden Century in Asian Games Cricket Semi-Final
Celebrating Shafali Verma's Achievement
Ian Bishop, a former cricketer from the West Indies, praised Indian opener Shafali Verma for achieving her first century during the women's cricket semi-final at the Asian Games. He noted that her impressive performance in T20Is made this milestone a well-deserved recognition for the explosive batter.
Continuing her remarkable form in knockout matches, Shafali became the first Indian woman to score a century in the Asian Games, and only the second overall after Yashasvi Jaiswal. Her innings of 100 not out off just 49 balls included three fours and nine sixes, marking her 100th T20I six, making her the second Indian to reach this landmark. Ian shared his thoughts on X, stating, "Shafali Verma has had a great run in T20 international cricket over the past three months. Her first white-ball international century being a T20I century is a fitting reward."
A Record-Breaking Century
Shafali's century positioned her as the third Indian woman to achieve this feat in T20Is. Previously, Smriti Mandhana held the record for the highest individual score for Indian women with 124 against Hong Kong in 2026, followed by her 112 against England in 2025 and Harmanpreet Kaur's 103 against New Zealand in 2018.
With her nine sixes against Bangladesh, Shafali climbed the ranks for the most sixes in women's T20Is. She now has a total of 102 sixes, joining the elite group led by New Zealand's Sophie Devine and West Indies' Deandra Dottin, both of whom have 134 sixes. Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu follows with 120 sixes, while Smriti Mandhana has 100.
Outstanding Performance in 2026
In 2026, Shafali has also become one of the top batters with the most 50-plus scores in women's T20Is, matching Smriti Mandhana's record of eight such scores in 2024. Mithali Raj and Hong Kong's Natasha Miles follow with seven scores each.
Shafali is among the leading run-scorers in women's T20Is this year, accumulating 815 runs, placing her second on the annual run-scoring list behind South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt, who has 824 runs. Natasha Miles is in third with 800 runs.
Her 35 sixes in 2026 are the highest in a calendar year for women's T20Is, with a six occurring every 14.31 balls. Chamari Athapaththu follows with 32 sixes in 2024 at a rate of one six every 17.75 balls.
Fastest Centuries in Women's T20Is
Shafali's 49-ball century ranks her among the fastest in women's T20Is for Full Member nations. The record for the fastest century is held by Deandra Dottin of the West Indies, who scored 100 off 38 balls against South Africa in 2010. Shafali's achievement ties with Harmanpreet Kaur's 49-ball century against New Zealand in 2018.
Consistent Performer in Knockout Matches
Verma has consistently excelled in high-stakes knockout matches for India, showcasing her talent in recent tournaments. In her last five knockout games, she scored 87 runs in the World Cup final, 64 in the Asia Cup semi-final, 68 in the Asia Cup final, 40 in the Asian Games 2026 quarterfinal, and 100 in the semi-final against Bangladesh, demonstrating her reliability in crucial moments.
Asian Games Semi-Final: India vs Bangladesh
In the women's cricket semi-final at the Asian Games 2026, the Indian team set a formidable target of 195 runs against Bangladesh, largely thanks to Verma's maiden T20I century. Alongside her, Smriti Mandhana contributed 37 runs off 19 balls, and Harmanpreet Kaur added 40 runs off 33 balls, helping India establish a strong position.
The winner of the semi-final between India and Bangladesh will face Sri Lanka in the gold medal match, following Sri Lanka's victory over Pakistan by eight wickets in the first semi-final.