&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Shafali Verma surges to no. 4 in ICC T20I rankings after stellar Asian Games campaign")
Swashbuckling opener Shafali Verma has climbed to No. 4 in the women’s T20I rankings following a stellar showing at the Asian Games in Japan. Verma was the leading run-scorer in women’s cricket at the competition, scoring 188 runs in three innings at a strike rate over 200. The right-handed opener scored her maiden T20I hundred and broke several batting records during the triumphant campaign, which saw India defend its gold medal. India thrashed Sri Lanka by 147 runs on Tuesday (Sep 22) to clinch the gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya. Also, her back-to-back fifties in the semifinal and the final of Asia Cup 2026 helped her climb the ladder in the women’s T20I rankings for batters.
India faced off against Sri Lanka in the women’s summit clash. Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss, and India elected to bat first, with the two openers adding 99 for the first wicket. For the second time in two matches, Shafali and Smriti Mandhana provided India with a brilliant start, with the two right-handers smashing boundaries for fun. While Mandhana completed her successive fifty, scoring 79 off 45 -- India’s top-scorer in the final – Verma missed out on her half-century by just two runs.
The attacking opener scored 48 off 29 balls, hitting three sixes and as many fours.
Verma in Asian Games 2026
Shafali Verma scored an unbeaten 40 in India’s tournament opener against Japan, clobbering six fours and two sixes at 266.67, before registering her highest T20I score against Bangladesh in the second semifinal.
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Shafali completed her first T20I hundred in 49 balls, hitting nine sixes and three fours, as India beat Bangladesh to qualify for the final.
Sri Lanka hammered Pakistan in the first semifinal to punch their final ticket.
The final was a head-on contest between two leading run-scorers in this competition: Verma and Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu, with the Indian coming on top in the end. Athapaththu, however, finished the tournament with 175 runs in three outings at 162.04.
Meanwhile, in the T20I bowling rankings, the Indian spin duo of N Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma continued to occupy the top spots, with both recording career-best ratings.
