Shafali Verma’s century and India’s bowling blitz crush Bangladesh as defending champions storm into Asian Games final

India into final (Image: BCCI/X) Defending champions India Women stormed into the gold medal match at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games with a commanding 114-run win over Bangladesh in the semi-final at the Korogi Sports Park in Nishinshin, Japan.After posting an impressive 195/4 in 20 overs, the Indian bowlers dismantled Bangladesh’s chase, bowling them out for just 81 in 15.4 overs. An emphatic win guarantees India a medal and sets up a gold medal clash against Sri Lanka on September 22.

Shafali’s historic century powers India to 195

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat and the top order made most of the decisions. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma got off to a roaring start, scoring 71 in the powerplay. Mandhana blasted 37 off 18 balls before falling, but not before becoming the leading run-scorer in women’s T20I cricket and the first Indian woman to hit 100 sixes in the format.Shafali then took charge and made a sensational 100 off 49 deliveries, including nine sixes and three fours. She became the first player to score a century in women’s cricket at the Asian Games. Harmanpreet added a valuable 40 off 33 balls as India finished on 195/4 to set Bangladesh a target of 196.

Indian bowlers crush Bangladesh’s chase

Bangladesh’s reply quickly unraveled as they slumped to 9/2 early in the innings. India’s bowlers kept up the pressure, taking wickets at regular intervals and leaving the visitors unable to build partnerships. Dilara Akter offered some resistance with 27 off 23 balls, but the rest of the batting line-up struggled with eight batsmen for single-figure scores.Nandani Sharma and Deepti Sharma led India’s attack with three wickets each. Nandani finished with 3/25 while Deepti returned an economical 3/7. Shree Charani also impressed with 2/7 as Bangladesh were dismissed for 81 in 15.4 overs.

India set up a gold medal clash against Sri Lanka

The win sends India into the gold medal match where they will face Sri Lanka on Tuesday, September 22. Sri Lanka booked their place in the final after defeating Pakistan by eight wickets in the first semi-final.India will now look to defend the gold medal they won at the 2022 Asian Games, while Pakistan and Bangladesh will face each other in the bronze play-off.