Women’s Asia Cup 2026:Team India has secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Women's Asia Cup 2026. The team registered a comfortable victory in their second group-stage match as well. Powered by a record-breaking century from vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Team India defeated Hong Kong by a massive margin of 137 runs.
With these two consecutive wins, Team India has advanced to the semi-finals. Their final group-stage match is scheduled against Pakistan on September 6, while the semi-finals will begin on September 10.
Team India took the field for their second Group A match at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday, September 3. In the first match, the Indian team's batting had appeared lackluster; back then, the team had secured a victory by a margin of over 100 runs thanks to the bowlers' performance.
However, in the second match, Team India excelled on every front. This dominance began with the batting, as the team stepped out to bat first for the second consecutive match.
Mandhana's Record-Breaking Century
Star opener Smriti Mandhana, who had failed to play a big innings against Thailand, made up for it this time by taking the Hong Kong bowlers to all corners of the ground. She completed her century in just 57 balls her second in T20 Internationals and the 18th of her career in women's international cricket (the highest tally).
During this knock, Mandhana (10,880 runs) also surpassed Mithali Raj's record (10,868 runs) for the most runs in women's international cricket. Powered by this innings, India posted a total of 193 runs.
Bowlers Seal an Easy Victory
Victory was already assured at that stage, but the bowlers still had to finish the job. Fast bowler Nandini Sharma set the tone, after which the spinners took charge. Led by veteran spinner Deepti Sharma, Sri Charani and Prema Rawat bundled out Hong Kong for just 56 runs in 16.2 overs.
Only three Hong Kong batters managed to reach double figures. Deepti claimed three wickets, while Charani, Prema, and Nandini took two each. With this result, Hong Kong was eliminated from the race for the semi-finals.
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