Shafali Verma scores a hundred in the Asian Games semi-final against Bangladesh
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Aaj Tak
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Shafali Verma scores a hundred in the Asian Games semi-final against Bangladesh

Indian cricket star Shafali Verma made a splash in the women's cricket semi-final of the 2026 Asian Games, scoring a magnificent century against Bangladesh. Playing in an aggressive style, Verma demonstrated powerful batting, significantly strengthening India's position.

Shafali Verma scored 100* not out with an average strike rate of 204.08, achieving this in just 49 balls. During her innings, she hit numerous fours and sixes, including 3 fours and 9 sixes.

Thanks to her performance, the Indian team managed to score 195/4 in 20 overs. The start of the game was very successful for India, where Shafali and Smriti formed a partnership for the first wicket of 72 runs. However, Smriti was dismissed after scoring 37 runs, leading to a quick fall of India's second wicket.

After Smriti's dismissal, Shafali took charge of the innings alongside India's captain Harmanpreet Kaur. They formed a partnership of 94 runs off 55 balls. Harmanpreet was dismissed after scoring 40 runs.

This explosive innings by Shafali changed the course of the match in favor of India. This innings gained particular significance as it took place in a major tournament like the Asian Games semi-final.

Furthermore, statistics show that among women in T20I, Shafali Verma (India) has scored 815 runs in 2026, which is close to Laura Wolvaardt's (South Africa) record of 824 runs in 2026. Also listed are Natasha Miles (Hong Kong) with 800 runs in 2026, Isha Ojha (UAE) with 779 runs in 2025, and Yasmin Daswani (Hong Kong) with 779 runs in 2026, as well as Smriti Mandhana (India) with 763 runs in 2024.

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Abhishek Sharma scores a hundred in match against Afghanistan; father speaks about his meditative celebrations
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Abhishek Sharma scores a hundred in match against Afghanistan; father speaks about his meditative celebrations

In the third T20 International match between India (IND) and Afghanistan (AFG) in Delhi, at Arun Jaitley Stadium, India secured a convincing victory with a score of 127 runs. This win allowed India to sweep the three-match series 3-0. The main hero of this match was Abhishek Sharma, who achieved a historic feat by reaching a century in just 30 balls.

India started the game by scoring 221 runs in 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma demonstrated incredible batting, scoring 108 runs off just 34 balls. His performance was supported by Sanju Samson, who also scored 50 runs, helping the team build a strong foundation. Following this, Indian bowlers restricted Afghanistan to only 94 runs in 14.1 overs.

This triumph marked Abhishek's third century in T20 Internationals. It was the fastest century among Indian players in T20 Internationals, as well as the fastest century among full member players in T20 Internationals. Overall, it is his third fastest century in the history of T20 International cricket.

During the celebration of the victory, Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran joined the Indian team and captain Shreyas Iyer. In the match, Afghanistan managed to score only 94 runs, with Ibrahim Zadran scoring the most points—25. Indian bowlers, such as Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravi Bishnoi, showed outstanding play, each taking three wickets, while Axar Patel also added two wickets.

The victory by 127 runs concluded the series, which India won 3-0. Earlier, India had won the first two matches of the series, achieving a major victory in the third match.

After the game, Abhishek's father, Rajkumar Sharma, told PTI in an interview that his son possesses a huge passion for training, which prevents him from paying attention to anything else. He noted that he invited his son home, but he did not come because his achievements are the result of diligent training and hard work.

Rajkumar expressed hope that Abhishek will continue to play in the same spirit and maintain this energy to keep winning matches. He also mentioned that his son meditates a lot, waking up at 4 am, which helps him maintain high concentration. Regarding the viral celebration, he said that if he did it on premises that are a temple or gurdwara, then it is very good, and he wishes that God continues to bless him and help him deliver similar performances in the future.

India defeats Sri Lanka in Women's T20 Asia Cup final
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India defeats Sri Lanka in Women's T20 Asia Cup final

India won the Women's T20 Asia Cup title after defeating Sri Lanka in the final match held at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. The Indian team secured the victory by a margin of 72 runs.

During the game, India scored an impressive 183 runs for five wickets. The success was largely attributed to the brilliant half-century performances of two opening batsmen: Smriti Mandhana, who scored 59 runs, and Shafali Verma, who scored 68 runs.

In response, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 111 runs on the last ball of their innings. In this match, spinners Sri Charani, who recorded a stat line of 4-1-20-4, and Dipti Sharma, whose statistics were 4-0-19-3, played a decisive role.

Pakistani captain Fatima Sana sparks controversy after dismissing Shafali Verma in India vs Pakistan match
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Pakistani captain Fatima Sana sparks controversy after dismissing Shafali Verma in India vs Pakistan match

Despite the final score of the India versus Pakistan match in the Women's Asia Cup 2026, held on Saturday (September 5), being one-sided, the behavior of Pakistani captain Fatima Sana drew the most attention. Her manner of sending the player off after dismissing her raised many questions.

In the match played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Indian team scored a modest total of 56 runs. While chasing these runs, Shafali Verma showed determination by hitting a six on the very first ball. However, she managed to score only 12 runs and was forced to leave the field in the second over. Fatima Sana's ball hit her on the edge of the bat and immediately went into the bowler's hands.

After Fatima Sana dismissed Shafali Verma, declaring her out via caught and bowled, she accompanied her with a 'cold' farewell, which suddenly heated up the atmosphere on the field. Fatima pointed to the fielding team to signal to Shafali that it was time for her to return to the bench. Fortunately, the Indian batter did not respond to this gesture, otherwise, the situation could have escalated.

Subsequently, Fatima Sana sent Pratik Rawal to the pavilion with a personal score of 4 runs. She then dismissed Smriti Mandhana via LBW, dealing the third blow to India. By taking three wickets in the powerplay, Fatima achieved a significant feat: she became the fourth player in the squad to twice take three wickets in the powerplay in Women's T20 International.

Although the Pakistani captain dealt early blows to India by dismissing Shafali Verma and others, these attempts were not enough to secure a victory for Pakistan. After the three dismissals brought the score to 29 runs, the Indian captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Dipti Sharma took charge. Both batters played cautiously, preventing Pakistan from gaining further chances.

Dipti hit a four through mid-wicket off Nashra Sandhu's ball in the seventh over. Following this, Harmanpreet hit a six in the ninth over, securing India's victory by 7 runs. Prior to this, Indian spinners had restricted Pakistan's innings to just 55 runs. Shri Charni, Prema Rawat, Shafali Verma, and Dipti Sharma prevented the Pakistani batters from playing freely. Pakistan's score when three wickets fell was 27 runs, but a series of dismissals followed. Besides Shawal Julfikar (14 runs) and Munib Ali (13 runs), no Pakistani batter managed to reach ten runs.

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