India clinched their place in the semifinals with an impressive 82-run triumph over Nepal in their last group game of the Women’s Asia Cup on Tuesday. The reigning champions, led by a stellar performance from opener Shafali Verma, outplayed Nepal to secure their semifinal berth in the Women’s Asia Cup T20 tournament.
Shafali Verma delivered a career-best performance, scoring 81 runs off just 48 balls, helping India achieve a commanding victory. Alongside Dayalan Hemalatha, who contributed 47 runs, the duo opened the innings and propelled India to a strong start after stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to bat.
The opening partnership amassed 122 runs in 14 overs, setting a solid foundation for India. Jemimah Rodrigues added an unbeaten 28 runs off 15 balls, including three boundaries in the final over, to bring India’s total to 178 for three.
Nepal faced a challenging target and needed to chase it down in under 10 overs to surpass Pakistan on net run rate and advance to the semifinals. However, Nepal could only manage 96 runs for nine wickets in their 20 overs, thanks to a superb performance by the Indian bowling attack.
Deepti Sharma was the standout bowler for India, taking three wickets for 13 runs. Radha Yadav and Arundhati Reddy, who played in place of a rested Pooja Vastrakar, each claimed two wickets, further dismantling Nepal’s batting lineup.
As a result, Pakistan joined India as the second team to qualify for the semifinals from Group A.
Nepal struggled throughout their chase, losing wickets at regular intervals. Arundhati Reddy dismissed both openers, Samjhana Khadka and Sita Rana Magar, while Renuka Singh and Radha Yadav contributed with crucial wickets.
Deepti Sharma then took center stage, removing Rubina Chhetry, Kabita Joshi, and executing a direct throw to dismiss Puja Mahato. Radha Yadav and Deepti Sharma continued their dominant bowling, wrapping up the Nepal innings with ease.
Earlier in the match, Shafali Verma dominated the Nepalese bowlers, hitting 12 fours and a six. Hemalatha, despite struggling initially, partnered effectively with Shafali, helping India reach 91 runs for no loss at the halfway mark.
Nepal had a chance to break the partnership in the 12th over, but a dropped catch off Hemalatha by Indu Barma allowed the pair to continue. Hemalatha was eventually caught by Rubina Chhetry off Sita Rana Magar’s bowling. Shafali continued her aggressive batting until Sita Rana Magar dismissed her.
Joshi trapped S Sajana for 10 runs, but Jemimah Rodrigues’s late cameo ensured India finished with a strong total.
