India secured a place in the Women’s Asia Cup final after defeating Bangladesh by 40 runs in the first semifinal in Dubai on Thursday.

Batting first, India posted 149/6 in 20 overs, with opener Shafali Verma producing the standout performance. She scored 64 runs from 40 deliveries to give India a strong platform on a slow surface where scoring proved difficult for several batters.

Shafali attacked the Bangladesh bowling despite the challenging conditions and reached her half-century before eventually being dismissed for 64. Her innings included seven fours and three sixes.

Bangladesh also missed opportunities in the field, with Shafali benefiting from multiple dropped catches during her innings. India capitalised on those chances to build a competitive total.

India recover after early setback

India lost Smriti Mandhana for two runs early in the innings, but Shafali steadied the batting effort.

Pratika Rawal contributed 20, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur remained unbeaten on 24. Richa Ghosh added 21 from 16 balls, and Deepti Sharma provided a late boost with 13 from five deliveries.

India accelerated towards the end of the innings, scoring 53 runs in the final five overs to finish at 149/6.

Deepti Sharma leads India’s bowling attack

Bangladesh began its chase with positive intent but struggled to maintain momentum as India’s spinners came into the attack.

Bangladesh reached 109/7 after 20 overs, falling 40 runs short of India’s total.

Deepti Sharma was India’s leading bowler with figures of 3/26, while Shree Charani and Prema Rawat also claimed wickets. Nandani Sharma took two wickets and completed the innings with the dismissal of Rabeya Khan.

For Bangladesh, Shorna Akter scored 22, while Dilara Akter made 21. However, regular wickets prevented Bangladesh from building a sustained partnership during the chase.

The victory sent India into their 10th Women’s Asia Cup final. The defending champions will face the winner of the second semifinal between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the title clash on September 13. 

India, the seven-time champions, therefore remain in contention for another Asia Cup title after successfully defending a total that initially appeared modest on the slow Dubai surface.

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan took a playful dig at Pakistan after India registered a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over their arch-rivals in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 on Saturday.

Soon after India completed the one-sided win in their Group A encounter, Pathan posted a short message on X: “Aaj Sunday hai kya?” The remark quickly drew attention as it recalled his earlier social media banter involving Pakistan.

Irfan Pathan’s ‘Sunday’ jibe returns

Pathan’s latest post was a reference to his social media remarks from last year, when he had repeatedly poked fun at Pakistan after India won three T20I matches against the Men in Green on consecutive Sundays.

Following those victories, Pathan had used the phrase “Sunday kaisa raha padosiyo”, turning Sundays into a recurring reference in his posts aimed at Pakistan.

His latest comment came after another emphatic India victory, this time in the Women’s Asia Cup.

India bowl Pakistan out for 55

India’s victory was set up by a superb performance from their spin attack. Pakistan were dismissed for just 55 in 18.1 overs, which the report described as their lowest-ever total in T20 cricket.

Young spinners Shree Charani and Prema Rawat played a major role in dismantling Pakistan’s batting line-up.

Charani, a 22-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner, finished with figures of 3/7 from four overs. Leg-spinner Prema Rawat also claimed three wickets, returning figures of 3/9 from her four overs.

Shafali Verma picked up one wicket for 10 runs in three overs, while Deepti Sharma completed the innings with two wickets for five runs in 3.1 overs.

Pakistan initially reached 27 without losing a wicket, but their innings soon collapsed. After Muneeba Ali scored 13 and Shawaal Zulfiqar made 14, Pakistan lost six wickets for just nine runs and slipped to 36/6.

India’s bowlers also delivered 78 dot balls during the Pakistan innings, making it difficult for the batting side to recover.

Harmanpreet Kaur makes history

The match was also significant for India captain Harmanpreet Kaur. She became the first international captain, male or female, to lead India in 150 T20Is.

Harmanpreet’s milestone was followed by another strong team performance as India comfortably chased down Pakistan’s total.

India reached the target in just 8.4 overs. Shafali Verma was dismissed for 12, Smriti Mandhana made nine and Pratika Rawal scored four.

Harmanpreet remained unbeaten on 18, while Deepti Sharma finished unbeaten on 12. Harmanpreet also hit the winning six to seal India’s victory.

India continue their dominance over Pakistan

The victory further strengthened India’s record against Pakistan in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup.

According to the report, India have now won seven of their eight matches against Pakistan in the tournament, with Pakistan’s only victory coming once.

With India completing another comfortable win, Pathan’s “Aaj Sunday hai kya?” post added a social media twist to an already dominant performance by the Indian team.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday addressed speculation surrounding chief selector Ajit Agarkar after he was absent from an important meeting involving India’s senior cricket leadership.

The meeting was attended by India captains Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, head coach Gautam Gambhir, BCCI officials and Centre of Excellence director of cricket VVS Laxman. Agarkar, however, was not present either in person or virtually.

His absence led to speculation about his future as chairman of the men’s senior selection committee.

BCCI explains Agarkar’s absence

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said Agarkar was out of station when the meeting was called at short notice.

According to Saikia, Agarkar was in an area where he could not join the meeting online despite making efforts to do so.

Saikia’s clarification came amid reports and speculation over whether Agarkar’s tenure as chief selector could be extended.

No discussion on Agarkar’s extension

Asked whether the BCCI discussed extending Agarkar’s tenure during the meeting, Saikia said there was no such discussion.

He also rejected speculation about VVS Laxman being appointed as the BCCI’s director of cricket, saying the board had neither discussed such a move nor had any intention of doing so.

Agarkar’s tenure marked by key decisions

Agarkar’s tenure as chief selector has included several high-profile decisions involving India’s leadership and squad selection.

One notable decision was the backing of Suryakumar Yadav as a long-term T20I captain ahead of Hardik Pandya.

Another major call involved replacing Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain. Both decisions attracted considerable attention and criticism, but Agarkar publicly defended the selection committee’s decisions.

For now, the BCCI has made it clear that Agarkar’s absence from Thursday’s meeting was due to logistical circumstances and that no discussion on extending his tenure took place during the meeting.