Shafali Verma's Century Leads India in Asian Games Semifinal

Shafali Verma etched her name in history by scoring the first century by a woman in Asian Games cricket, leading India to 195 for 4 in the semifinal against Bangladesh on September 20, 2026. The opener remained unbeaten on 100 off 49 balls, an innings that included nine sixes and three fours. Verma's century was her maiden in T20 Internationals, achieved in her 118th match for India. She reached the milestone with a single off the final delivery of the innings. This performance also saw her surpass Smriti Mandhana to become the Indian with the most sixes in women's T20 Internationals, now holding 104 sixes compared to Mandhana's 100. India's innings started aggressively, with Verma and Mandhana putting on 72 runs for the first wicket. Mandhana scored 37 off 19 balls before being caught behind. After Gunalan Kamalini fell for 3, Verma partnered with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, adding 94 runs for the third wicket. Kaur contributed 40 off 33 balls, helping to accelerate the scoring in the latter overs. Verma's 49-ball century tied with Harmanpreet Kaur's hundred against New Zealand in 2018 for one of the fastest in women's T20 Internationals among Full Member teams.