'I can't ask anything else from her' - Harmanpreet Kaur heaps praise on Shafali Verma after Asia Cup triumph
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur lauded Shafali Verma's match-winning 68 and all-round tournament performance after India's 72-run Women's T20 Asia Cup final victory over Sri Lanka.
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India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the Women's T20 Asia Cup final at Dubai International Stadium on September 13, 2026, claiming their eighth Asia Cup title and fourth in the T20 format. Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat, with India posting 183 for 5 in their innings. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 111 in response, giving India a commanding victory.
Shafali Verma was the standout performer in the final, scoring 68 off 39 balls with nine fours and two sixes. Her innings proved decisive in India's total, and her performance capped a strong tournament showing. Harmanpreet Kaur acknowledged Verma's contribution with specific praise for her approach and execution.
"I think Shafali had a great tournament and it's good to see somebody like Shefali who is taking the responsibility and doing the job with bat and ball. I can't ask anything else from her. It's all about playing good cricket and I am very happy about that. We set some really high standards for us and we had to match them every day," said Harmanpreet as quoted by Cricinfo.
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Shafali's fifty came off just 24 balls, marking the fastest fifty in Women's T20 Asia Cup history. She opened the innings alongside Smriti Mandhana, and the pair added 129 runs for the first wicket. This opening stand represented the highest partnership for any wicket across all Women's T20 Asia Cup editions. Mandhana contributed 59 from 39 deliveries to the partnership.
"Absolutely fantastic. Great left-hand, right-hand combination. Shafali has got her own style. The firepower that she has and just the charisma that she has on the pitch just puts the opposition on the back foot. Smriti, as usual, she's got that flair. She's got that touch. So, they complement each other really well. I'm glad that they had a good show time today. I think our batting was really strong. We started off really nicely. That's what we spoke about in the meetings. The girls went on to execute things really nicely," said Indian head coach Amol Muzumdar.
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Shafali's tournament performance extended beyond the final. She accumulated 236 runs across five innings in the Asia Cup, topping the run-scoring charts. Beyond her batting, Verma also contributed with the ball, picking up two wickets during the tournament. Her dual role with bat and ball drew particular appreciation from her captain, who highlighted the opening pair's complementary styles and impact on the opposition.
India's bowling attack proved equally effective in restricting Sri Lanka. Deepti Sharma took three wickets while Charani claimed four, dismantling the opposition's chase. Chamari Athapaththu top-scored for Sri Lanka with 36 runs, but the early loss of the captain left the team unable to mount a competitive total. The 72-run margin of victory underscored India's dominance throughout the match.
"If you see throughout the fortnight, I think the pitches were on the slower side and they turned quite a bit. So, putting the score on the board and then defending it, we did have the luxury of having three good quality spinners in our ranks. So, I think that was predominantly the tactic: Put the score on the board and then go out there and defend. Then, we went back to the five-match series that we played in December against Sri Lanka in India and how we dismissed Chamari. A very important wicket as far as Sri Lanka is concerned. So, I thought that was the plan. But I'm glad that Deepti went on to execute it nicely," said Muzumdar.
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