Shafali Verma ton powers India into Asian Games final
Reigning champions India stormed into the women’s cricket T20I final at the Asian Games for a second successive edition on Sunday, confirming at least a silver medal and taking India’s medal tally to four at the continental showpiece.
India already have won two silver medals in shooting and an assured bronze in mixed martial arts, while the women’s cricket team added another confirmed medal by advancing to the gold-medal match with a crushing 114-run win over Bangladesh.
Shafali Verma peeled off her maiden T20I century, an unbeaten 100 off just 49 balls, to power India to a formidable 195 for four after opting to bat. The Bangladesh chase then unravelled almost immediately as wickets fell at regular intervals, with the side eventually bowled out for just 81 in 15.4 overs. It was India’s second-biggest win by runs against Bangladesh.
India will now face Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match on Tuesday, in a repeat of the last edition’s final.
The two sides also clashed in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup final last Sunday with India winning by 72 runs.
Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the first semifinal on Sunday.
Pakistan will now face Bangladesh for the bronze in the first match on Tuesday.
Nandani Sharma returned 4-0-25-3 and even came close to taking a hat-trick in the 11th over.
For Bangladesh, opener Dilara Akter with a 23-ball 27, studded with four fours and a six, was the only batter to provide any resistance as four of the top six batters fell for single-digit scores.
Earlier, Shafali went hammer and tongs to clobber nine sixes and three fours to bring up her maiden hundred in the shortest format in her 118th match for the country.
It is only the fourth T20 International century for any Indian batter.
The aggressive right-handed opener was well supported by senior duo Smriti Mandhana (37) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (40) from the other end.
Using the long handle to good effect, both the Indian openers were off to a flier and put on 72 runs for the first wicket. Shafali and Mandhana matched each other stroke by stroke while taking the attack to the Bangladeshi bowlers, who had no response to their aggressive approach.
However, the pair was separated right when the powerplay, which they had dominated really well, was about to end.
Nahida Akter had induced a false stroke from Mandhana, who looked to slog sleep a delivery, and had her caught behind by Sobhana Mostary.
Mandhana, however, entered the record books on Sunday as she went past New Zealand great Suzie Bates’ tally of 4,758 runs in women’s T20Is.
India did not find much from their No. 3 Gunalan Kamalini, who fell soon after for a laborious 10-ball 3 on a wicket where run-making had been rather easier for the batters. Shafali, on the other hand, kept cruising on the other end. She seemed to be effortlessly clearing the boundaries while hitting nine sixes and only three fours, but had to wait until the final over of India’s innings to bring up her century. Harmanpreet pierced the gaps with precision to make 40 off 33 balls but it was her 94-run stand off only 55 balls with Shafali which took the game away from Bangladesh.
