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India beat Thailand by 94 runs in their Women’s Asia Cup opener in Dubai. Shafali Verma made 64 off 36 to take the Player of the Match award, and Deepti Sharma took 3 for 0 in seven balls on her 150th T20I to become the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20 internationals.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Deepti Sharma bowled seven deliveries on Sunday night. She conceded nothing, took three wickets, and finished the evening at the top of a list she had spent a decade climbing.
She had arrived at her 150th T20I on 168 wickets, needing two more than Thipatcha Putthawong to go past her. Thipatcha took one. Deepti took three. The margins were that fine, and she cleared them inside two spells.
Shafali’s Powerplay
Thailand won the toss and put India in on a surface that had already hosted two matches in two days, which looked generous at the time and looked worse ten overs later.
Smriti Mandhana hit three boundaries off Phannita Maya in the opening over and was run out for a 10-ball 19 by a direct hit from Aphisara Suwanchonrathi, ending a 38-run stand that had taken three overs. Shafali Verma simply carried on. She reached fifty from 26 balls, her 19th in the format, and made 64 from 36 with eight fours and three sixes. India were 108 for 2 and looking at 200.
The Thirteenth Over
Suleeporn Laomi ended that in two deliveries.
The legspinner had Shafali chipping a cross-seam ball straight back to her, and off the next ball Richa Ghosh mistimed an inside-out loft to cover for a golden duck. Thipatcha had already removed Harmanpreet Kaur for five. India were 136 for 7 within five overs of being 108 for 2, Bharti Fulmali pulling to deep midwicket for 13 and Deepti run out for five by another direct hit.
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Prema Rawat was stumped for six and Nandni Sharma bowled for one before Kranti Gaud and Shree Charani added 22 for the last wicket, Gaud taking a six and a four off Thipatcha in the final over to push India past 150. They finished on 159 for 9. Laomi had 3 for 26, Sunida Chaturongrattana 2 for 31. Pratika Rawal, handed a T20I debut as cover for the injured Jemimah Rodrigues, made 22 from 18.
Seven Balls
It was not enough of a total to be nervous about, as things turned out.
Gaud struck in the first over. Deepti put down Phannita Maya at slip off her bowling, and Nandni Sharma dismissed her the following over anyway. Nandni finished with 3 for 18. Then Shree Charani and Deepti took four wickets between them in four overs, and Thailand were 44 for 6 — Deepti’s two in the ninth over having drawn her level with Thipatcha.
She came back for the first ball of the 17th and had her man, Richa Ghosh diving to complete the catch. Figures of 3 for 0 from 1.1 overs, including a maiden. Deepti now has 171 wickets, ahead of Thipatcha on 170, Rwanda’s Henriette Ishimwe on 164 and Sophie Ecclestone on 154. She is only the twelfth woman to play 150 T20Is and the third Indian, after Harmanpreet Kaur and Mandhana. Afterwards she said the pride was in wearing the jersey rather than the number beside her name.
Koncharoenkai Alone
That last wicket was Nannapat Koncharoenkai, the only Thailand batter to reach double figures. She made 41 from 48 with five fours, and when she went the innings went with her: 65 all out in 16.1 overs.
It is India’s third-biggest win in Asia Cup history. Thailand, led by Thipatcha in this match, had beaten Hong Kong by six runs in the tournament opener at the same ground two days earlier.
What Comes Next
India have reached the final in all nine previous editions of this tournament and won seven, but they lost the last one — beaten by Sri Lanka in the 2024 final, and Sri Lanka arrive in Dubai as defending champions.
Group A continues for India against Hong Kong before the fixture the tournament has been built around: Pakistan, on 5 September. The top two from each group go through, with the semi-finals on 10 and 11 September and the final on the 13th, all at this ground.
Result: India Women beat Thailand Women by 94 runs
India 159/9 (20 ov) — Shafali Verma 64 (36), Pratika Rawal 22, Smriti Mandhana 19; Suleeporn Laomi 3-26, Sunida Chaturongrattana 2-31
Thailand 65 all out (16.1 ov) — Nannapat Koncharoenkai 41 (48); Nandni Sharma 3-18, Deepti Sharma 3-0
Player of the Match: Shafali Verma (India) — 64 off 36
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
