Shafali Verma smashed a quickfire half-century off just 26 balls as India Women's made an aggressive start against Thailand Women's in their opening match of the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026 in Dubai.
Shafali took the attack to the Thailand bowlers from the beginning and raced to her fifty with a series of attacking shots with 7 fours and 3 sixes. Her explosive batting has put India in a strong position after Thailand chose to bowl first.
India lost Smriti Mandhana for 19 off 10 balls earlier in the innings after she was run out following a direct hit from the boundary. Mandhana had started brilliantly, hitting four boundaries before her dismissal.
With Mandhana back in the pavilion, Pratika Rawal, making her T20I debut, joined Shafali at the crease. Rawal has also played positively, helping India maintain a high scoring rate. India managed to cross 100-runs in the first 10 overs of the game after the dismissal of debutant Pratika as well.
Thailand had won the toss and elected to bowl first, with stand-in captain Thipatcha Putthawong saying her side wanted to restrict India to around 170. India are looking to begin their Asia Cup campaign with a strong win before their much-anticipated clash against Pakistan on September 5.
