India secured their place in the Women’s Asia Cup final on Thursday after a commanding 40-run victory over Bangladesh in the semifinal held in Dubai. Opener Shafali Verma anchored the Indian innings with a sparkling 64 off 40 balls, overcoming several dropped catches and a missed run-out opportunity to provide a vital start against the new ball.
After Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field, India lost Smriti Mandhana early for just two runs. Shafali then combined with Pratika Rawal for a 50-run partnership to stabilize the innings. Rawal contributed 20 off 24 deliveries before falling to Rabeya Khan. Despite the loss of partners, Shafali reached her 20th T20I half-century in 35 balls. She accelerated in the 14th over, striking a six and two fours, before being caught at deep mid-wicket by Sultana Khatun, who finished with figures of 2-30.
India reached 92/3 after 14 overs, needing a strong finish to set a competitive target. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who initially struggled to find rhythm against the spinners, eventually accelerated to finish unbeaten on 24 off 28 balls. Contributions from Richa Ghosh, who scored 21 off 16, and a late cameo from Deepti Sharma—who struck a four and a six in her 13 off six balls—pushed India to a total of 149/7. The team managed 53 runs in the final five overs to bolster their score.
In response, Bangladesh’s chase was hampered by disciplined Indian bowling. Shree Charani broke the opening partnership in the sixth over by dismissing Juairiya Ferdous for 14. Deepti Sharma then dismantled the middle order, claiming three wickets to stifle any momentum. Although the lower order attempted to find boundaries, the required run rate proved insurmountable. Nandni Sharma closed out the match in the final over, taking two wickets, including a hit-wicket dismissal of Rabeya Khan, as Bangladesh finished on 109/7.
The match concluded with India winning by 40 runs. Brief scores: India 149/6 (Shafali Verma 64; Sultana Khatun 2-30) defeated Bangladesh 109/7 (Shorna Akter 22*; Deepti Sharma 3-26). The report also notes that but it helped India add precious runs against the hard new ball as batting got progressively tou, she struck 7 fours and 3 sixes in a charmed knock that saw her dropped thrice and survive a straightforward run-out chance. The report also notes that leaving India 58/2, rawal made 20 off 24 before she was caught at cover attempting to take on Rabeya Khan. The report also notes that shafali, however, continued to attack.
Comments