Dubai, September 13 (Daily Kiran) : In a thrilling final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 held in Dubai, Indian opener Shefali Verma made history by scoring the fastest fifty in the tournament’s history. She reached the milestone in just 24 balls, leading India against Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Verma’s explosive innings surpassed the previous record held by her teammate Smriti Mandhana, who completed her fifty in 25 balls during the 2022 T20 Asia Cup. Richa Ghosh follows in third place with a fifty off 26 balls.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Indian team got off to a blistering start, thanks to the partnership between Shefali Verma and Smriti Mandhana. The duo propelled India to 100 runs in just 10.2 overs. They amassed an impressive 129 runs for the first wicket in 12.5 overs, tying with UAE’s Isha Oja and Teerth Satish for the most century partnerships in Women’s T20 cricket, marking their sixth such collaboration.
This innings marked the third time Verma has scored a half-century in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026, equaling the record for the most fifties in a single edition of the tournament held by Sri Lanka’s captain, Chamari Athapaththu, who also scored three half-centuries in the 2024 Asia Cup.
India’s playing eleven included Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Gunalan Kamalini, Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Shri Charani, Kranti Gaud, and Nandini Sharma. Sri Lanka’s lineup featured Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Imesha Dulani, Vishami Gunaratne, Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Kaushani Nuthyangana (wicketkeeper), Sugandhika Kumari, Chamudi Prabodha, and Mithali Ayodhya.
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