Dubai:Shafali Verma produced a brilliant 64 off 40 balls as India defeated Bangladesh by 40 runs in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 semi-final to book their place in Sunday’s final.
On a slow Dubai surface where most batters struggled to score freely, Shafali’s aggressive innings helped India post 149 for 5 before their bowlers restricted Bangladesh to 109 for 7 in 20 overs.
The victory took India into another Women’s Asia Cup final and kept alive their hopes of adding an eighth continental title. India will face either Pakistan or Sri Lanka in the final on September 13.
Shafali makes Bangladesh pay for missed chances
Shafali’s innings was not without fortune. Bangladesh had three opportunities to dismiss the India opener, but she was dropped on 6, 11 and 56.
The missed chances proved costly.
Shafali took full advantage of the reprieves and produced a stroke-filled innings that provided the bulk of India’s momentum. She struck three sixes against the spinners and finished with a strike rate of 160.
Her innings included an aggressive front-foot pull against Marufa Akter, a reverse sweep and powerful shots down the ground against the spinners.
On a pitch where batting was difficult, Shafali’s ability to attack the bowling made the difference between a modest total and a competitive one.
India struggle before Shafali’s acceleration
Bangladesh’s bowling attack had been one of the better-performing units in the tournament and kept India’s established batters under pressure for much of the innings.
India reached 45 for 1 during the powerplay but struggled to accelerate through the middle overs.
Pratika Rawal, batting at number three, made 20 from 24 balls. She began positively with a textbook cover drive and later hit a six after stepping out of the crease, but was eventually dismissed by Marufa Akter.
Richa Ghosh contributed 21 from 16 balls, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur remained unbeaten on 24 from 28 deliveries.
Harmanpreet initially found scoring difficult, managing only four runs from her first 16 balls, before recovering with two sixes towards the end of the innings.
Bangladesh unable to chase 150
India’s bowlers entered the second innings knowing that 149 was likely to be a challenging target on a slow surface.
That assessment proved correct.
Bangladesh finished on 109 for 7 in their 20 overs and never looked capable of seriously threatening India’s total.
Openers Juairiya Ferdous and Dilara Akter attempted to give Bangladesh a positive start, but both eventually fell while trying to clear the mid-wicket boundary.
Ferdous scored 14 from 18 balls, while Akter made 21 from 26 deliveries.
Kranti Gaud produced one of India’s best fielding moments of the match with a running catch to dismiss Akter.
India’s spin trio delivers
India’s spinners then ensured Bangladesh could not build a partnership capable of changing the course of the chase.
Deepti Sharma was the pick of the bowling attack, finishing with figures of 3 for 26.
Shree Charani claimed 1 for 14, while Prema Rawat took 1 for 21 as India’s spin trio made good use of the conditions.
The slow nature of the Dubai pitch had been a recurring feature of the tournament, and India’s bowling attack was well suited to exploiting it.
Bangladesh’s inability to accelerate meant the required run rate continued to climb, eventually taking the contest away from them.
Bangladesh’s missed catches prove costly
While India’s bowlers deserve credit for defending the total, Bangladesh’s fielding also played a major role in the result.
Four catches were dropped during India’s innings.
Shafali alone was given three reprieves, and the opener made Bangladesh pay for every one of them.
Had those opportunities been taken, India could have struggled to reach even 120, according to the match report.
Instead, Shafali’s 64 helped India reach 149, a total that proved more than sufficient on the slow Dubai surface.
India eye eighth Women’s Asia Cup title
India remain the most successful team in the history of the Women’s Asia Cup, having won the tournament seven times – four titles in the 50-over format and three in T20 cricket.
Their latest victory gives them another opportunity to add to that record.
India had suffered a surprise defeat against Sri Lanka in the previous edition, making their progress to this year’s final particularly significant.
The team will now wait for the second semi-final between Pakistan and Sri Lanka to determine their opponents for the title clash.
Shafali’s knock comes at the right time
Shafali’s performance is particularly encouraging for India because the team had found run-scoring difficult on the tournament’s slow pitches.
The opener’s ability to attack spin and pace allowed India to break away from the conservative scoring pattern that affected several of their other batters.
Her three sixes against spin were especially important, as Bangladesh had largely succeeded in restricting India’s middle-order batters.
Shafali’s aggressive approach ultimately gave India the platform they needed to put pressure on Bangladesh in the second innings.
Final awaits India
India’s 40-run victory means they are now just one match away from another Women’s Asia Cup title.
The final will be played in Dubai on Sunday, September 13, with India facing either Pakistan or Sri Lanka.
For India, the semi-final provided several positives: Shafali’s attacking half-century, a disciplined spin attack and the ability to defend a competitive total despite difficult batting conditions.
The biggest concern will remain the number of chances offered in the field, with Pratika Rawal dropping two catches and Bangladesh also putting down Shafali three times.
But with a place in the final secured, India will enter the title clash with momentum and another opportunity to extend their dominance in the Women’s Asia Cup.