Her knock of 100* off 49 balls was laced with three fours and nine sixes, taking her to 100 T20I sixes, making him the second Indian to reach the milestone. Posting on X, Ian wrote, “Nice run of form in T20 international cricket in the last 3 months for Shafali Verma. “Now in 118 T20Is and 117 innings, Shafali has scored 3,277 runs at an average of 30.06 and a strike rate of 140.70, with a century and 21 fifties, with a best score of 100*.
Former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop hailed Indian opener Shafali Verma for her maiden century in the women’s Asian Games cricket semifinal, saying that after a fine run in T20Is, a maiden century in the format comes as a “due reward” for the hard-hitting batter. Shafali’s sensational run in knockout matches continued as she became the first Indian woman cricketer to slam a century in the Asian Games and overall second after Yashasvi Jaiswal during the semis against Bangladesh. A first white ball international century being a T20i century is due reward.
Before her, Smriti Mandhana held the record for the highest individual score for India Women with 124 against Hong Kong in Dubai in 2026, followed by her 112 against England at Trent Bridge in 2025 and Harmanpreet Kaur’s 103 against New Zealand in Providence in 2018. In her last five knockout appearances, Verma has scored 87 off 78 balls in the World Cup final, 64 off 40 in the Asia Cup semi-final, 68 off 39 in the Asia Cup final, 40 off 16 in the Asian Games 2026 quarterfinal, and 100 off 49 in the Asian Games 2026 semi-final, showcasing her consistency and ability to perform on the big stage. Shafali’s century made her the third centurion for India Women in T20Is. Verma has continued to deliver in high-pressure knockout matches for India, producing impactful performances across recent tournaments. The winner of the India-Bangladesh semi-final will face Sri Lanka in the gold medal match after Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the first semi-final.
