India’s winning streak in the Women’s Asia Cup 2022 remained intact as they defeated Nepal by 82 runs in a Group A fixture in Bangladesh yesterday. Batting first, Shafali Verma’s blistering knock of 81 powered India to a solid total of 178/3. In reply, Nepal were bowled out for 96 as the Indian spinners shared six wickets between them.
Stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss and chose to bat, providing opportunities to some fringe players. Young opener Hemalatha Dayalan got a chance alongside Verma. While Hemalatha made a start with 47 runs, Verma stole the show with a scintillating 48-ball 81. She found the gap regularly and punished the loose balls to notch her T20 best score. Jemimah Rodrigues’ quick-fire 20 helped India cross the 175-run mark.
In the chase, Nepal found runs hard to come by against some tight bowling. Veteran off-spinner Deepti Sharma was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/13. She varied her pace cleverly and spun the ball both ways to dismantle the Nepal batting. Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav and pacer Arundhati Reddy grabbed two wickets each, restricting Nepal to 96.
The result ensured India remain unbeaten in the tournament. They are likely to face Bangladesh in the semifinals. Verma was named the Player of the Match for her match-winning knock. The batting unit will be glad of the outing ahead of the crucial knockout clashes. As the leading team, India will hope to clinch their maiden Asia Cup title on the back of strong displays with both bat and ball.
