India are through to the Women’s Asia Cup final, but their 40-run semifinal victory over Bangladesh was far from a flawless performance. Four dropped catches from Bangladesh, including three chances offered by Shafali Verma, helped India turn a difficult batting evening into a winning one. Once the ball was handed to India’s spinners, however, the game took a different shape.
Shafali Made Bangladesh Pay
India lost Smriti Mandhana for just two, and the innings could easily have gone downhill from there. Instead, Bangladesh kept giving Shafali chances, and she kept making them pay.
Shafali was dropped three times, at 6, 11, and 56. She eventually made Bangladesh regret every one of them, smashing 64 from 40 balls with seven fours and three sixes. Her 50-run partnership with Pratika Rawal gave India the platform they needed before Shafali’s dismissal in the 14th over left India needing contributions from the middle order.
On a slow Dubai surface where scoring was never straightforward, Shafali’s aggression was the difference between India having an ordinary total and having something worth defending.
Four Chances, Four Consequences
The fielding errors did not stop with Shafali. Richa Ghosh was also given a reprieve later in the innings, taking advantage by hitting a six. By the end, Bangladesh had dropped four catches, mistakes that proved particularly costly in a semifinal where every run mattered.
India eventually finished on 149/6. It was not an enormous total, but on a pitch where Bangladesh’s batters would later struggle to score freely, it was enough.
And that was where India’s bowlers took over.
Deepti Sharma Turns the Chase
Bangladesh began their chase positively, but the momentum disappeared once India’s spinners entered the attack. Shree Charani’s control and Deepti Sharma’s experience steadily pushed the required rate beyond reach.
Deepti was the standout, finishing with 3/26 from four overs. She removed Dilara Akter after the opener had made 21, then dismissed Sobhana Mostary and Sharmin Akhter. Nandani Sharma added two wickets as Bangladesh slipped to 109/7.
The contrast was striking. Bangladesh’s fielding had repeatedly handed India opportunities. India’s bowlers, when their chances arrived, made sure they counted.
India Finds a Way Through
The semifinal was therefore less about India producing a perfect performance and more about finding a way to win when the conditions demanded it.
Shafali supplied the attacking innings. Deepti controlled the middle overs. The spinners squeezed Bangladesh until the chase became unrealistic. Even with India themselves putting down chances during the second innings, the 40-run cushion proved too large.
India eventually bowled Bangladesh out of contention at 109/7, booking their place in the final on September 13. They will face the winner of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka semifinal.
One Step From the Trophy
India may not have been at their cleanest, but knockout cricket rarely demands perfection. It demands that a team make the most of the moments that come their way.
Bangladesh gave Shafali four lives across their fielding effort. She turned three of her own chances into a match-winning 64, while Deepti made sure India’s defense never lost control.
The final will demand better from India. But after surviving a chaotic semifinal, they have exactly what they came for: another Asia Cup final and one more chance to lift the trophy.
