India has secured a spot in the Women’s Asia Cup final by defeating Bangladesh by 40 runs. This will be India’s 10th final appearance; they have reached the final in every edition of the tournament held so far. Can they clinch their eighth title?
Batting first, India set a target of 150 runs for Bangladesh. Shafali Verma scored 64 off 40 balls, aided by a stroke of luck. She was dropped three times (on 6, 11, and 56 runs) and narrowly escaped a run-out just after completing her half-century. Eventually, substitute fielder Farzana Esmin took the catch. After Smriti Mandhana fell for 2 runs, Harmanpreet Kaur (not out 24), Pratika Rawal (20), and Shafali Ghosh (21) made crucial contributions. Shafali shared a 50-run partnership with Pratika.
Earlier, after winning the toss, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty asked the seven-time Women’s Asia Cup champions, India, to bat first.
Women’s Asia Cup final
In excellent form, India entered this semi-final as the clear favourites and lived up to expectations. Having never missed a Women’s Asia Cup final, they now await their opponents for the title clash. The second semi-final between defending champions Sri Lanka and Pakistan will decide that, scheduled for Friday, September 11. The first ball will be bowled at 2:30 PM GMT (8:00 PM IST), though our pre-match show will begin well before that.
Winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed satisfaction with how things have unfolded. She noted that the bowlers benefited from the spin available in the second innings and utilised the pitch effectively. Harman also noted that small partnerships proved crucial and that such little details matter significantly in the bigger picture; she praised players like Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma.
Player of the Match
Shafali Verma received this award for her fearless batting. She played a match-winning knock of 64 off 40 balls, featuring 7 fours and 3 sixes. Reflecting on the challenging conditions during her innings, Shafali admitted that the humidity bothered her greatly, making it difficult to breathe at times. She explained that as the innings progressed, she focused on staying calm, controlling her breathing, and playing shots along the ground.
When asked about her aggressive play during the powerplay, she stated that it was a deliberate strategy, as scoring runs is easier in the opening six overs. She views her role in the team as maximising runs and hitting boundaries during that phase.
