India secured their place in the Women’s Asia Cup final on Thursday after a commanding 40-run victory against Bangladesh in Dubai. The result was anchored by a brilliant individual performance from opener Shafali Verma, whose aggressive 64 off 40 balls provided the necessary momentum for her side on a pitch that became increasingly difficult for stroke-making as the game progressed.
Building the Total
After Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field, India faced an early setback when Smriti Mandhana fell for just two runs. However, Shafali Verma stabilized the innings alongside Pratika Rawal, constructing a vital 50-run partnership for the second wicket. While Rawal contributed 20 runs off 24 balls before being dismissed by Rabeya Khan, Shafali remained the aggressor. Despite being dropped three times and narrowly avoiding a run-out, she capitalized on her luck to reach her 20th T20I half-century in just 35 deliveries.
Late Acceleration and Bowling Dominance
- Shafali accelerated in the 14th over, striking a six and two fours before eventually falling to Sultana Khatun for 64.
- Captain Harmanpreet Kaur struggled initially, scoring only six runs from her first 18 balls, but she found her rhythm late to finish unbeaten on 24 from 28 deliveries.
- Richa Ghosh chipped in with a valuable 21 runs off 16 balls, while Deepti Sharma provided a late flourish with a quick-fire 13 from six balls, including a four and a six.
- India managed to score 53 runs in the final five overs, pushing their total to 149/6 after a period of relative stagnation in the middle overs.
Chasing 150, Bangladesh started cautiously, reaching 26 without loss by the sixth over. The momentum shifted when Shree Charani dismissed Juairiya Ferdous for 14, triggering a collapse. Deepti Sharma proved instrumental, claiming three wickets to stifle any hope of a Bangladesh recovery. Although Shorna Akter remained unbeaten on 22, the required run rate proved insurmountable. Nandni Sharma closed out the match in the final over, securing two wickets—including a rare hit-wicket dismissal of Rabeya Khan—to restrict Bangladesh to 109/7. The final scorecard reflected India’s dominance, with the team finishing at 149/6 compared to Bangladesh’s 109/7, highlighted by Sultana Khatun’s 2-30 for the opposition and Deepti Sharma’s match-winning 3-26. The report also notes that india, who were put in to bat after Bangladesh won the toss, posted 149/7, with Shafali providing the impetus at the top of the order.
