Shafali Verma’s blazing 64 off 36 balls, laced with eight fours and three sixes, set the platform for India in their Women’s T20 Asia Cup opener against Thailand—but the middle order once again unraveled on a gripping Dubai surface. From a healthy 91 for one, India stumbled alarmingly. Harmanpreet Kaur managed just 5 off 9, Richa Ghosh fell for a duck, and Deepti Sharma added only 5 as the innings slid to 127 for 6 before India limped to 159 for 9.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Shafali struck a reflective note despite the eventual 94-run win. “We will just go back and see where we are going wrong as a batting unit and where we can improve,” she said, adding that the squad would use the downtime to assess how to contribute more collectively going forward.
Shafali Verma’s blazing 64 off 36 balls
Sunday’s precise 94-run triumph against Thailand in Dubai highlighted only half of India’s story. Shafali Verma’s blazing 64 off 36 balls set the tone, but the frightening middle-order wobble on a gripping surface was a timely reality check ahead of the stiffer challenges to come in this Asia Cup campaign.
What stood out afterward wasn’t the margin of victory but Shafali’s candor. The young opener disclosed that the team had entered this game fully aware of what lay ahead. “As we all know, we arrived here, and we were all aware that there would be a twisting track and a little hold, so we were prepared for this track,” she said, pointing to the preparation put in back home for exactly these conditions.
It’s a small but telling admission—knowing what’s coming and actually handling it, India discovered, are two very different challenges.
Shafali Verma opened up about her dismissal, giving fans a rare, honest look into how tough conditions can trip up even a well-set batter.
She explained that the pitch in Dubai changed as the game went on. Early with the new ball, batting was easy. “The ball was coming on nicely with the new ball,” she said. But things got harder later. “There is a bit of hold and turn after the ball gets old,” she added.
It was that change that got her out.” She felt in control and was batting effectively, but she made a small mistake. I just made a mistake. It was a little late getting there and a little gripping. “I could have played it on the ground,” she said.
It’s a simple, honest admission—even top players can lose their wicket to one tiny error, not the bowler beating them outright. Shafali said her experience from the 2024 T20 World Cup in the UAE helped her prepare and that she had trained specifically for these conditions back home. Still, as she showed, all the preparation in the world can’t remove the pressure of making the right call in the moment.
Despite the batting hiccups, Shafali Verma was quick to acknowledge the good work of Thailand’s bowling attack and reflect on how far women’s cricket in the region has come.
Ultimately, the focus remains on cricket. I know we need to grow, and we’re just trying to play excellent cricket out there. We worked hard, but credit goes to Thailand’s bowlers,” she said.
Shafali’s tone became warmly reflective as she discussed the broader context. “As a team, we are thrilled with how women’s cricket is growing and improving. Congratulations to them. I’d ask them to keep working hard. We are all thrilled to see how far women’s cricket has come,” she added.
Last Updated on August 31, 2026 by Aditiya Sharma
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