India 178 for 3 (Shafali 81, Hemalatha 47, Magar 2-25) beat Nepal 96 for 9 (Deepti 3-13, Radha 2-12, Reddy 2-28) by 82 runs
Shafali Verma‘s career-best 81 and disciplined bowling effort propelled India to the semi-finals of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 with an 82-run triumph over Nepal in their final group game. With three wins from three games, India topped Group A. Pakistan, who defeated UAE earlier in the afternoon, were the second team to advance to the knockouts, with two wins out of three.
Opting to bat first, the Smriti Mandhana-led India posted 178 for 3 thanks to Shafali’s breezy knock and a solid opening stand with D Hemalatha. It was an uphill task for Nepal, who don’t play under lights, and against an in-form bowling attack, they could only manage 96 for 9 in 20 overs. Barring Tanuja Kanwar, all the Indian bowlers were among the wickets to hand the defending champions a comprehensive win.
Shafali blazes away but Hemalatha scratchy
There was a change at the top of the order with India promoting Hemalatha to open with Shafali. The openers took their time to assess the conditions where several loose deliveries went unpunished early on. But soon enough, Shafali found her feet and accelerated. The same cannot be said of her opening partner on the day.
After an unbeaten 41 against Bangladesh in April in her comeback game, Hemalatha had crossed 30 only once in the next eight innings across ODIs and T20Is before Tuesday. With the semi-final spot almost in the bag, India rested their regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur and allrounder Pooja Vastrakar and gave some game time to S Sajana and Arundhati Reddy. Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 in October, this was a golden opportunity for Hemalatha to cement her spot in the XI, batting against an Associate team on a slow surface. Though a few good shots came off her bat, thanks to a strong bottom hand, she struggled to find the timing in her 42-ball 47.
Shafali, on the other hand, also benefited from the Nepal bowlers, who initially struggled to find the right line and length. She used her feet and wrist well to flick, hit straight drives down the ground, slog sweep to deep midwicket and overall, played with good intent. India finished the powerplay on 50 for 0 and Shafali brought her tenth T20I fifty in the eighth over, off just 26 balls. At the halfway stage, India were 91 for 0 and looked set to breach the 200-run mark again.
India finish strong despite a brief stutter
However, Nepal’s experienced left-arm spinner Sita Rana Magar pulled things back and removed Hemalatha and Shafali in the 14th and 16th over respectively. Shafali ended her knock with 12 fours and a six and the duo’s 122-run partnership was the highest opening stand in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup and the second-highest for any wicket.
India’s scoring rate slowed down when the new batters came in but Jemimah Rodrigues‘ clever batting, which fetched her five fours in her 15-ball 28 not out, helped India get close to 180. Sajana, like Hemalatha, also struggled in her 12-ball stay. Whether India persist with Hemalatha or give more opportunities to Sajana at No.3 is something to keep an eye on, leading up to the T20 World Cup.
Reddy grabs her opportunity
Injury to Titas Sadhu opened the door for Reddy to be back with the Indian squad following her impressive performances in domestic cricket and the WPL. In the limited opportunities she has got since her comeback against South Africa last month, Reddy has stepped up to the challenge, to be India’s backup fast bowler. Against Nepal, she picked up 2 for 28 in her four overs. Having worked on her variations and the ability to swing the ball both ways in the last 12 to 15 months, Reddy struck on her fourth delivery, bowling opener Samjhana Khadka early. She went for 11 runs in her second but fought back to dismiss Magar for a 22-ball 18 with a delivery that seamed back in to hit the middle stump.
