Nisshin, Sept 2026 : Shafali Verma produced a record-breaking performance on Sunday, smashing her maiden white-ball century to power India to a commanding 195/4 against Bangladesh in the women’s cricket semifinal at the Asian Games.
Shafali remained unbeaten on 100 off just 49 balls, becoming the first player to score a century in the women’s Asian Games. Her explosive innings featured three fours and nine sixes as India finished just five runs short of the 200-run mark.
The Indian opener’s nine sixes also helped her set a new record for the most maximums by a female cricketer in women’s T20Is in a calendar year. Shafali moved past Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu’s previous record of 32 sixes in 2024. She now has 35 sixes in T20Is in 2026.
| Player | Year | Sixes |
|---|---|---|
| Shafali Verma | 2026 | 35 |
| Chamari Athapaththu | 2024 | 32 |
| Chamari Athapaththu | 2026 | 25 |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | 2018 | 25 |
| Sophie Devine | 2018 | 21 |
| Sophie Devine | 2020 | 21 |
| Fatima Sana | 2026 | 21 |
Shafali’s nine sixes also equalled the record for the most sixes by a batter in a single women’s T20I innings. She joined West Indies stars Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin in the record books.
India’s innings was given an aggressive start by vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, who scored 37 from just 19 balls. Her knock also produced a significant milestone as she became the leading run-scorer in T20I cricket across both men’s and women’s formats.
Mandhana entered the match with 4,751 runs from 170 innings and needed just eight runs to surpass former New Zealand batter Suzie Bates. She reached the landmark early in her innings, scoring a couple of boundaries and two singles during her first seven balls.
Mandhana eventually moved to 4,788 runs from 171 innings, moving ahead of Bates and extending the gap over former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who is the leading men's T20I run-scorer.
| Rank | Player | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smriti Mandhana | 4,788 |
| 2 | Suzie Bates | 4,758 |
| 3 | Babar Azam | 4,596 |
| 4 | Jos Buttler | 4,292 |
| 5 | Harmanpreet Kaur | 4,287 |
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur also made a valuable contribution, scoring 40 from 33 deliveries with six fours.
The combined efforts of Shafali, Mandhana and Harmanpreet helped India post a formidable total of 195/4 in the semifinal. Shafali’s unbeaten century was the standout performance, combining power and consistency as she repeatedly cleared the boundary against the Bangladesh attack.
With her historic hundred and record-breaking tally of sixes, Shafali has added another landmark to her growing international career while helping India put itself in a strong position in the Asian Games semifinal.
