Indian all-rounder Shafali Verma recorded her maiden white-ball international century. On Sunday, September 20, the Women in Blue were up against Bangladesh in semifinals of Asian Games, where the Indian star
scripted history by becoming the first batter to make a hundred in the continental multi-sport tournament. Verma reached the three-figure mark in just 49 deliveries and remained not out at 100 runs. After opting to bat first, Harmanpreet Kaur-led ladies got off to a strong start.
While vice captain and Verma’s co-opener Smriti Mandhana had to walk back at just 37 runs, Verma remained steady. Kaur played her captain’s knock and posted 40 runs in 33 deliveries. Though no other batter could manage to cross single figure mark, the combined efforts of Verma, Mandhana and Kaur helped the side post 195 runs with the loss of four wickets. Notably, Verma hit a total of three boundaries and nine mammoth sixes during her knock.
🔥 SHAFALI VERMA. SIMPLY UNSTOPPABLE. 🔥
Peak Shafali. Pure power. Absolute dominance. 🇮🇳⚡#ShafaliVerma #TeamIndia #IndianCricket #WomensCricket #Cricket pic.twitter.com/dp54b3EIvU
— SportsTiger (@The_SportsTiger) September 20, 2026
Shefali Verma’s Standout Effort Helps India Record Early Dominance
The Women in Blue, who are coming off a triumphant campaign in the Asia Cup 2026, kicked off their Asian Games campaign with a win over Japan. Having met Bangladesh in the semi-finals of the recently-concluded contest, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. would aim to move past them and secure a berth in the gold medal contest. Verma came up with her standout batting effort while the captain and her deputy made some valuable contributions to push the team to an early dominance.
On the other hand, Nigar Sultana, playing her last tournament as the team’s T20I skipper, and her squad displayed disciplined bowling prowess. Coming back to Verma, she now owns the joint fourth-fastest T20I century alongside her skipper. Not only this, but Verma is also the only third centurion in Women’s T20Is among full-member nations, along with the joint-most sixes in an innings in the shortest format.
