Watch: Shafali Verma brings up maiden Asian Games fifty with a maximum, etches history

Indian Women’s team batter Shafali Verma created history on September 21 as she became the first Indian to score a fifty in the Asian Games. The explosive batter brought her half-century against Malaysia Women with a maximum and took just 31 deliveries to reach the milestone.

Shafali Verma along with Smriti Mandhana got the Indian team to a flying start in the Quarter Final 1 at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field, Hangzhou. Mandhana was dismissed after scoring a quick-fire 27 off just 16 balls but Verma kept the momentum going.

Shafali Verma smashes half-century in Asian Games 2023 Quarter Final

The young batter got off the mark with a boundary in the very first over against Ainna Hamizah Hashim. She then smoked a six off the same bowler in her next over and made her intentions pretty clear in the all-important game.

While the Indian Women’s team lost the wicket of Smriti Mandhana in the 6th over, they managed to put on 62 runs in the powerplay overs. Verma was then joined by Jemimah Rodriguez for the second-wicket partnership.

Shafali kept going all guns blazing even after the powerplay overs and smashed back-to-back boundaries in the 7th over against Nur Dania Syuhada. She got enough support from Rodriguez from the other end who kept playing her shots right from the word go.

Verma smashed a six off the second delivery of the 11th over bowled by Winifred Duraisingam to reach the 50-run mark. She didn’t stop after her half-century as she hit another six off the very next delivery of the 11th over.

Shafali Verma etched her name in history as she became the first Indian to score a fifty in the Asian Games. She eventually played a stellar knock of 67 runs off just 39 deliveries including 4 boundaries and 5 maximums before getting dismissed by Malaysian leg-spinner Mas Elysa.

Her partner Jemimah Rodriguez remained unbeaten after scoring a blistering 47 off just 29 deliveries. The Indian Women’s team posted a mammoth total of 173-2 in their 15 overs as the game was shortened due to rain in Hangzhou.

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The Malaysian Women’s Team could only bat for a couple of deliveries as rain played the spoilsport and the India vs Malaysia game couldn’t resume. The Indian team thus qualified for the Semi Final of the Asian Games 2023 because of higher seeding and will contest on September 24 as they’ll aim to reach the next stage of the event.