Shafali shines bright

India opener Verma hammers 48-ball 81 as defending champions post 178-8; beat Nepal by 82 runs

Explosive opener Shafali Verma slammed a breathtaking 48-ball 81 to power India to a solid 178 for three to help them beat Nepal by a whopping 82 runs in their final group stage match of the Women’s Asia Cup T20 tournament here on Tuesday.

Nepal fail with willow

In reply, Nepal could only manage 96-9 in their stipulated 20 overs. Opener Sita Rama Magar , with just 18 runs, was the top-scorer for Nepal. Pacer Deepti Sharma was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming 3-13. 

Earlier, with regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur skipping the match and India sitting pretty at the top of the group, stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana decided to shuffle the batting order to give time to the lower order in the middle.

Opening the innings, Shafali and Dayalan Hemalatha (47) gave India a flying start as the duo smashed its way to 122 in 14 overs. The openers racked up 50 in the Powerplay itself.

Once the duo were back in the hut, Jemimah Rodrigues hit 28 not out off 15 balls, including three fours in the final over, to take them close to 180-mark.
While Shafali literally toyed with the bowlers, using her flicks to good use as 12 fours and a maximum flew from her blade, Hemalatha struggled a bit, but chugged along with her experienced partner as the Nepalese bowlers toiled in vain.

Shafali was particularly harsh on Kabita Joshi (1-36), smashing her for five boundaries, while Sabnam Rai (0-41) was also sent across the line a couple of times. The dashing opener smacked Rubina Chhetry (0-14) over deep mid-wicket for her first six in the seventh over before picking up another four with a slog-sweep. She completed her 50 in just 26 balls in the eighth over.

Hemalatha fires too

Hemalatha, who was finding it difficult to get the middle of the bat, then clobbered Joshi for a straight six as India reached 91 for no loss at the halfway stage. Hemalatha struck five fours and a six in her 42-ball innings.

Sita Rana eventually had Shafali out stumped.

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