Shafali, Smriti set Asia Cup records

• Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana set a historic 129-run opening stand
• The duo broke the record for highest partnership in a Women's Asia Cup
• India posted 183 to chase a record-extending 8th title in Dubai

Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana created history in the 2026 Women's Asia Cup final by giving India a dream start after Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss

and chose to bat first on Sunday (September 13) at the Dubai International Stadium. The Indian opening pair put up a massive stand of 129 runs in 12.5 overs as the Women in Blue posted a mammoth total of 183 on the board. Both players scored half-centuries during the record-breaking effort and put India on course for a record-extending 8th title. Shafali made 68 runs off 39 balls (9 boundaries, 2 sixes) while Smriti registered a 39-ball 59 (5 boundaries, 3 sixes).

Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana Create History

The 129-run stand is the highest partnership for any wicket in a Women's T20I final tournament (5 or more teams) in history. They broke a record of West Indies pair of Hayley Matthews and Stefaine Taylor, which stood for 10 years in the process.

Highest Partnership In A Women's T20I Tournament (5 or more teams) Final for Any Wicket

	Players	Runs	For Wicket	Opponent	Tournament	Venue
	Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana	129	1	Sri Lanka	Women's Asia Cup 2026	Dubai
	Hayley Matthews, Stefanie Taylor	122	2	Australia	Women's T20 World Cup 2016	Kolkata
	Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney	120	1	India	Women's T20 World Cup 2020	MCG

Meanwhile, it is also the highest partnership in a Women's Asia Cup match in history. They broke a record held by compatriots Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma, which was set in the 2022 edition against Sri Lanka.

Highest Partnerships In A Women's Asia Cup Match

Players	Runs	Opponent	Venue	Year
Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana (India)	129	Sri Lanka	Dubai	2026
Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma (India)	128	UAE	Sylhet	2022
Dayalan Hemalatha, Shafali Verma	122	Nepal	Dambulla	2024
Sabbhineni Meghana, Shafali Verma	116	Malaysia	Sylhet	2022
Chamari Athapaththu, Anushka Sanjeewani	115	Malaysia	Dambulla	2024

Meanwhile, Shafali and Smriti became the first players from a full-member nation to register six-century partnerships in the shortest format of the game. They broke a record they shared with New Zealand cricket legend Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates (5). The only other players to achieve the feat are United Arab Emirates' Esha Oza and Theertha Satish.

Overall, the Indian pair have 3909 aggregate partnership runs, which is the most in history in Women's T20I. No other pair has even crossed the 3000-run mark.