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'Dreamed it, manifested it...': Shafali Verma reflects on maiden T20I ton

'Dreamed it, manifested it...': Shafali Verma reflects on maiden T20I ton

Shafali Verma Photograph: (BCCI)

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Shafali Verma struck a brilliant unbeaten century as India defeated Bangladesh by 114 runs to book their place in the women's cricket final at the Asian Games.

Indian opener Shafali Verma expressed her happiness after hitting her maiden T20I century against Bangladesh in the Asian Games semi-final. Reflecting on the milestone, she highlighted the “time, patience and belief” that helped her achieve the feat. Shafali smashed an unbeaten 100 off 49 balls, including three fours and nine sixes, to help India post 195/4 and book their place in the gold medal match against Sri Lanka.

Sharing a post on Instagram, Shafali wrote, “Dreamed it. Manifested it. Worked for it. Hitting my first ever T20I hundred meant more than I can put into words. It took a lot of time, patience and belief, but some dreams are worth waiting for. Feeling truly blessed and grateful to finally live this moment. Now, onto the Finals.”

Smriti Mandhana supported her with a quick 37 off 19 balls, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored 40 off 33 deliveries.

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Bangladesh’s chase never got going as they were bowled out for 81 in 15.4 overs. Deepti Sharma and Nandani Sharma claimed three wickets each, while Sree Charani took two.

Shafali’s century made her the third Indian women’s batter to score a T20I hundred after Mandhana and Harmanpreet. She now has 3,277 runs in 118 T20Is at a strike rate of 140.70, includin g a century and 21 fifties.

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The nine sixes also took her tally to 104 in women’s T20Is. In 2026, Shafali has scored 815 runs and eight 50-plus scores, matching Mandhana’s record for most such scores in a calendar year.

Her 49-ball hundred is tied with Harmanpreet’s 49-ball century and remains among the fastest T20I hundreds by a Full Member women’s batter. Deandra Dottin holds the record with a 38-ball hundred against South Africa in 2010.

Shafali has continued to produce strong performances in knockout matches, with her latest century adding to an impressive run on the big stage.