India kept their perfect record alive, storming into a sixth consecutive Women’s T20 Asia Cup final with a 40 run win over Bangladesh in a mistake filled last four clash in Dubai.
Batting first on a sluggish surface, Shafali Verma anchored the innings with a blistering 64 off 40 deliveries, surviving four separate chances along the way. Her innings powered India to 149 for 6, despite several teammates struggling to find fluency against the turning ball.
Bangladesh’s openers, Juairiya Ferdous and Dilara Akter, began confidently but lost momentum once spin came into play. India spilled four catchable opportunities during the chase, yet Bangladesh lacked a batter capable of capitalising the way Shafali had. Their innings folded at 109 for 7.
Marufa Akter troubled the top order early with clever variations, while offspinner Sultana Khatun generated two chances in her opening over alone, though both went unconverted. Shafali rode her fortune, launching consecutive sixes and later escaping a run out mix up with Harmanpreet Kaur.
At the other end, Pratika Rawal and Harmanpreet toiled hard for their runs, managing just 33 in seven middle overs before Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma provided a late push.
With the ball, Deepti Sharma was the standout performer, dismissing Ferdous and later castling Sobhana Mostary to trigger a collapse. Prema Rawat chipped in as Bangladesh lost three wickets for 17 runs inside three overs.
Despite dropping several catches themselves, India’s total proved comfortably beyond Bangladesh’s reach, sending them into yet another final in search of continued Asian dominance.
