Enters semis

Reigning champions India dominated the proceedings on either side of the innings against their neighbours Nepal, while registering a comprehensive 82-run win, after setting a target of 174 in their final Women’s Asia Cup T20 Group A league match at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla, Sri Lanka on Tuesday night.

India in the process booked a place in the semi-final stage* with an unbeaten track record, along with second placed Pakistan who earlier defeated UAE by 10 wickets while chasing a modest target of 104 as the second best team from the same group.

Earlier a feisty 81-run knock by Shafali Verma complemented by Dayalan Hemalatha well-paced 47 and their 122 run first wicket alliance in 14 overs paved the path for a competitive score, after their stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and elected to bat. Jemimah Rodrigues later scored a brisk unbeaten 28 as she and wicket keeper batter Richa Ghosh who scored 6 not out added valuable 22 runs in nine balls for the fourth wicket to ensure India score 178 for 3 in their allotted 20 overs.

Later the spin duo of Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadao shared five wickets among themselves while conceding 25 runs in seven overs to restrict Nepal to 96 for 9 in the end. The same came at the back of early damage by pacers Arundhati Reddy and Renuka Thakur Singh who accounted for three top order Nepal batters including top scorer Sita Rana Magar (18) who earlier had accounted for both the Indian openers.

Shafali Verma whose blistering 81 off 48 balls included dozen boundaries and one maximum saw her score her 10th T20I fifty in her 78th inning was named the Player of the Match. "I relied on my strengths, and it worked out well today, so I'm really happy. I'm becoming more consistent and working on finishing strong. I saw the fielder and aimed to hit the ball along the ground. Scoring 200 runs (against West Indies in a one-off Test) is significant for a batter, and since I wasn't in great form before, this innings really boosted my confidence," said 20 year old Shafali Verma.

Indu Barma, Nepal Captain who scored 14 of 18 balls before being caught by her opposite number of Renuka Thakur Singh in the 10th over  said, “:"I am proud of the team. We have realized our weaknesses and we will come back stronger. We respect our opponents. We got great exposure playing against India. I am happy with my team. After the 10th over, our bowlers gained good momentum. I got lots of experience, and my teammates gained a bunch of experience playing against India and Pakistan. We will play and practice more with this." 

Smriti Mandhana who took on the role of India Captain, after Harmanpreet Kaur was rested for the match said, “As an opener, it’s rare not to get a chance to bat, so I'm really happy with how things went. Shafali batted brilliantly, and Hema also got some runs. We finished well as a team. I think it was much-needed game time for all the batters, especially since the middle order hasn’t had many opportunities to bat in the last two T20 series. So, I was really happy with how it turned out, and we finished off well too."

Brief scores (Group A League Match):

India - 178/3 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 81 (48b: 12x4s, 1x6), Dayalan Hemalatha 47 (42b: 5x4s, 1x) , Jemimah Rodrigues 28*(15b: 5x4s); Sita Rana Magar 2/25, Kabita Joshi 1/36) beat Nepal - 96/9 in 20 overs (Sita Rana Magar 18 (22b: 3x4s), Bindu Rawal 17* (19b: 2x4s), Rubina Chhetry 15 (16b: 2x4s, 1x6); Deepti Sharma 3/13, Radha Yadav 2/12, Arundhati Reddy 2/28, Renuka Thakur Singh 1/15) by 82 runs. Player of the Match: Shafali Verma (India).

*India will take on Bangladesh will play in the first semi-final of the Women’s Asia Cup, which is on Friday, 26 July, after the later defeated Malaysia by a massive margin of 114 runs in their final Group B league match on Wednesday morning

Photo Cover: Player of the Match Shafali Verma’s (Left) explosive innings and Dayalan Hemalatha supportive role ensured India score 178 for 3 (Photos courtesy BCCI)

Photo Above: India continued their dominant run in the Women's Asia Cup T20 and secured a spot in the semifinals with a comprehensive 82-run victory over Nepal.