Shafali Verma smashed her maiden T20I century as India stormed into the women’s cricket final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a 114-run victory over Bangladesh on Sunday.
Batting first after captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss, India posted 195/4 at Nisshin’s Karogi Athletic Park.
Bangladesh were never able to mount a serious chase and were bowled out for just 81 in 15.4 overs, sending India into the gold medal match.
India will face Sri Lanka in the final on Tuesday.
Shafali Verma hits unbeaten 100
Shafali produced the standout performance of the match, finishing unbeaten on 100 off 49 balls.
Her innings included three fours and nine sixes, taking her six-hitting tally in women’s T20Is to 104 and moving her past Smriti Mandhana’s previous mark of 98.
Mandhana also reached a landmark during the match, bringing up her 100th six in women’s T20I cricket.
Shafali raced to her half-century in just 24 balls and continued to attack before slowing down slightly as she approached three figures.
She completed her century from the final ball of India’s innings, triggering an emotional celebration from the batter and her teammates.
Harmanpreet provides crucial support
Shafali found an effective partner in Harmanpreet during the middle overs.
The pair added 94 runs for the third wicket from 55 balls, with Harmanpreet contributing 33 of those runs.
The Indian captain eventually fell for 40, followed quickly by Richa Ghosh for 2, but Shafali remained at the crease to complete her century.
Bharti Fulmali played a small but important role in helping Shafali reach the milestone, taking a single off the penultimate delivery and leaving her teammate with the opportunity to complete the hundred from the final ball.
Smriti Mandhana creates T20I history
Smriti Mandhana also made history during India’s innings.
She scored 37 runs before being dismissed on the final ball of the powerplay, with India reaching 72 at that stage.
During her innings, Mandhana surpassed New Zealand’s Suzie Bates to become the highest run-scorer in women’s T20I cricket, going past Bates’ previous tally of 4,758 runs.
Her 100th six later in the innings added another milestone to a memorable day for the Indian opener.
Bangladesh bowled out for 81
The Bangladesh chase never gained momentum as India’s bowlers maintained control throughout the innings.
Nandani Sharma and Deepti Sharma claimed three wickets each, while Shree Charani added two wickets after her impressive 4/10 against Japan in India’s previous match.
Kranti Gaud and Shryenka Patil also picked up wickets as Bangladesh were dismissed for 81 in 15.4 overs.
The 114-run victory sealed India’s place in the gold medal match.
Sri Lanka await India in final
Earlier on Sunday, Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the first semi-final.
Chasing 178, Sri Lanka were powered by Chamari Athapaththu’s unbeaten 83 off 50 balls and reached the target with 13 balls to spare.
Sri Lanka’s victory means India and Sri Lanka will meet for the women’s cricket gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday.
India will enter the final after a dominant semi-final performance led by Shafali’s landmark century.
