Indian cricket opener Shafali Verma scored her maiden T20 International century during the Asian Games cricket tournament semi-final against Bangladesh in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Verma’s unbeaten 100 off 49 balls, which included three fours and nine sixes, helped India secure a spot in the gold medal match against Sri Lanka.
India batted first and posted a total of 195/4, with contributions from Smriti Mandhana, who scored 37 off 19 balls, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who added 40 off 33 balls. In response, Bangladesh was dismissed for 81 runs in 15.4 overs. Deepti Sharma and Nandani Sharma each took three wickets, while Sree Charani claimed two.
Following the match, Verma stated on social media that the achievement was the result of patience and belief. Her performance marked the third century by an Indian woman in T20I cricket, joining Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur in the record books. With this innings, Verma reached 104 career T20I sixes, placing her among the top players in the format.
Verma’s 2026 season statistics include 815 runs and 35 sixes, the latter being the highest frequency of sixes in a calendar year for women’s T20Is. Her 49-ball century is tied with Harmanpreet Kaur’s 2018 performance as one of the fastest centuries by a player from a Full Member nation.
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