Confidence high as Shafali prepares for Asia Cup semi-final
The India opener reflected on her own form, the team’s preparations and the middle order ahead of their Women’s Asia Cup semi-final against Bangladesh.
Shafali Verma has been one of India’s key contributors at the Women’s Asia Cup, but the opener is treating Thursday’s semi-final against Bangladesh as a fresh challenge.
Shafali has scored 104 runs from three matches at the Asia Cup so far, forming a strong opening partnership with vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. Her form has also carried over from India’s previous meeting with Bangladesh at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, where she was named Player of the Match after scoring 53 from 34 balls.
Shafali Verma lights it up with a quickfire fifty | Aramco POTM Highlights | Women's T20WC 2026
Shafali Verma’s quickfire 53 off 34 balls against Bangladesh earned her the Player of the Match award at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Yet, rather than relying on what has come before, Shafali is focused on starting again when India take on Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
“As a batter, whenever I go to bat, I just start from zero. But what came from that innings, it's just confidence. So, I will take that confidence and just start from zero again,” she said in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
India have also had time to reset ahead of the knockout stages of the Asia Cup, with the team getting a four-day break after their seven-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan.
“We had good preparation. We got four days of break and on those days, we recovered well and did practice as well. So, we all are ready for the semis,” Shafali said.
While India’s openers have provided consistency, the middle order has had a less settled tournament, continuing an issue that was also evident during this year’s Women’s T20 World Cup.
Shafali, however, remains confident in the players around her, particularly the team’s finishers.
“Well, I would say there are a bit of bad days. But they all are very good players. They all are very good batters. Just talking about Bharti (Fulmali) and Richa (Ghosh), they all are very good finishers and even do great things in the middle order as well. So, I am pretty sure they will do well for our team,” she said.
Ghosh fires at the perfect time | Women's T20WC 2026
Richa Ghosh bossing the penultimate over to push India past 150 against Pakistan at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026.
The conditions in Dubai are another factor India have been preparing for.
Shafali believes the spin-friendly surface is familiar enough for the team to adapt quickly.
“Of course, the conditions here are similar, like how it is in India. So, we all know the conditions. There is a bit of turn in the wicket. We all are prepared about that and I also know about the conditions. So, I just go out there, take time and enjoy it,” she explained.