Shafali’s ton helps India crush Bangladesh, storm into Asian Games final

India into finals (Image: BCCI/X)

Defending champions India Women stormed into the gold-medal match of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 with a commanding 114-run victory over Bangladesh in the semi-final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan.After posting a formidable 195/4 in 20 overs, India’s bowlers dismantled Bangladesh’s chase, bowling them out for just 81 in 15.4 overs. The emphatic win guarantees India a medal and sets up a gold-medal clash against Sri Lanka on September 22.

Shafali’s historic century powers India to 195

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat, and the top order made the most of the decision. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided a blistering start, racing to 71 in the powerplay. Mandhana struck 37 off 18 balls before falling, but not before becoming the leading run-scorer in women’s T20I cricket and the first Indian woman to reach 100 sixes in the format.Shafali then took charge, producing a sensational 100 off 49 deliveries, including nine sixes and three fours. She became the first player to score a century in women’s cricket at the Asian Games. Harmanpreet added a valuable 40 off 33 balls as India finished on 195/4, setting Bangladesh a target of 196.

India bowlers crush Bangladesh’s chase

Bangladesh’s reply quickly unravelled as they slipped to 9/2 early in the innings. India’s bowlers maintained the pressure, taking wickets at regular intervals and leaving the visitors unable to build a partnership.

Dilara Akter offered some resistance with 27 off 23 balls, but the rest of the batting line-up struggled, with eight batters dismissed for single-digit scores.Nandani Sharma and Deepti Sharma led India’s attack with three wickets each. Nandani finished with 3/25, while Deepti returned an economical 3/7. Shree Charani also made an impact with 2/7 as Bangladesh were dismissed for 81 in 15.4 overs.

India set up gold-medal clash against Sri Lanka

The victory sends India into the gold-medal match, where they will face Sri Lanka on Tuesday, September 22. Sri Lanka booked their place in the final after defeating Pakistan by eight wickets in the first semi-final.India will now look to defend the gold medal they won at the 2022 Asian Games, while Pakistan and Bangladesh will meet in the bronze-medal playoff.