Shafali shines on a night of experiments India
In the women’s Asia Cup final group match, India defeated Nepal by a commanding 82 runs to guarantee their place in the semifinals.
Defending champions India crushed minnows Nepal by 82 runs in their final group encounter to secure their quarterfinal position at the Women’s Asia Cup T20 competition here on Tuesday. Explosive opener Shafali Verma hammered a career-best 48-ball 81.
With India shuffling the batting order, Shafali Verma and Dayalan Hemalatha (47) opened the innings and gave India a flying start after stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to bat.
The opening duo smashed its way to 122 in 14 overs to lay the foundation.
Jemimah Rodrigues then hit unbeaten 28 off 15 balls, including three fours in the final over, to take India to a solid 178 for three.
Nepal needed to achieve the target in or under 10 overs to surpass Pakistan on net run rate and qualify for the semifinals but they could only manage 96 for nine in their 20 overs, thanks to some superb bowling from the in-form Indian attack.
India Women vs Nepal Women Highlights
Deepti Sharma (3/13) was the most successful bowler for India as she snapped three wickets, while her spin colleague Radha Yadav (2/12) and seamer Arundhati Reddy (2/18), playing in place of a rested Pooja Vastrakar, snapped two each.
Pakistan, thus, became the second team to qualify for the semifinals from group A.
It proved to be a tough chase for Nepal as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals to slip to 52 for 4 in 10.2 overs with seamer Arundhati cleaning up both the openers — Samjhana Khadka (7) and Sita Rana Magar (18).
Renuka Singh (1/15) then dismissed Kabita Kunwar (6), while Radha removed Indu Barma (14).
Deepti then got into the act, getting rid of Rubina Chhetry (15) and Kabita Joshi (0) and then removed Puja Mahato (2) with a direct throw.
Dolly Bhatta (5) became the second victim of Radha, while a caught and bowl effort helped Deepti dismiss Kajal Shrestha (3) to claim her third wicket.
Earlier, Shafali literally toyed with the bowlers, using her flicks to good use as 12 fours and a maximum flew from her blade.
Hemalatha struggled a bit but chugged along with her experienced partner as the Nepalese bowlers toiled in vain.
The openers racked up 50 in the powerplay and continued to make the bowlers pay.
Shafali was particularly harsh on medium pacer Kabita Joshi (1/36), smashing her for five boundaries, while off-spinner Sabnam Rai (0/41) too was sent across the line a couple of times.
The dashing opener smacked spinner Rubina Chhetry (0/14) over deep mid-wicket for her first six in the seventh over before picking up another four with a slog-sweep. She completed her fifty in 26 balls in the eighth over.
Hemalatha, who was finding it difficult to get the middle of the bat, then clobbered Joshi for a straight six as India reached 91 for no loss at the halfway stage.
Nepal had an opportunity to break the stand in the 12th over by left-arm spinner Sita Rana Magar (2/25) but seamer Indu Barma (0/29) spilled a regulation catch off Hemalatha at the boundary line.
The batter, however, was caught by Rubina after a bit of a juggle off the same bowler as India lost their first wicket with the team at 122 in 14 overs.
Hemalatha struck five fours and a six in her 42-ball innings.
Shafali continued to punish the bowlers, slamming two more fours off Barma but Sita Rana finally got rid of the opener with a tossed up delivery as the keeper did the rest.
Joshi then trapped S Sajana (10) but Rodrigues swelled the innings with a little cameo.
Shafali Verma registered the second-highest score for India in the history of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup. The young right-handed batter accomplished the feat in the Group A match against Indu Barma’s Nepal on Tuesday, July 23 at the Rangiri International Stadium in Dambulla. Shafali scored 81 runs off 48 balls with 12 fours and a six before Sita Rana Magar accounted for her wicket.
Shafali charged down the wicket, but got out stumped by Kajal Shrestha. The 20-year-old registered the joint third-highest score in the history of the tournament, along with Harshitha Madavi’s 81 against Thailand in 2022. The Indian record is held by Mithali Raj, who smashed an unbeaten 97 against Malaysia back in 2018.
The young right-handed batter accomplished the feat in the Group A match against Indu Barma’s Nepal on Tuesday, July 23 at the Rangiri International Stadium in Dambulla. Shafali scored 81 runs off 48 balls with 12 fours and a six before Sita Rana Magar accounted for her wicket.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, India capitalized on the opportunity with Hemalatha contributing a valuable 47 runs. The partnership’s aggressive approach was instrumental in India reaching a competitive total of 178 for three. Jemimah Rodrigues further bolstered the innings with an unbeaten 28 off 15 balls, enhancing the score with three boundaries in the concluding over.
Facing a challenging target, Nepal’s pursuit was hindered by India’s proficient bowling attack, limiting them to 96 for nine in their allotted 20 overs. The requirement for Nepal to surpass Pakistan’s net run rate and secure a semifinal berth necessitated achieving the target within 10 overs, a feat they were unable to accomplish.
