Kolkata : Shafali Verma has been one of India’s key contributors at the Women’s Asia Cup, but the opener is treating Asia Cup 2026 semi-final against Bangladesh as a fresh challenge at Dubai International Stadium. She 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.
“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.
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.
India have recorded a flawless run in terms of results so far, beating Thailand, Hong Kong and Pakistan by convincing margins in the group stages. On the other hand, Bangladesh had an iffy run in group B, finishing second behind Sri Lanka. India hold a superior head-to-head record against Bangladesh, winning 21 of their 24 previous meetings in the format.
Which TV channels and OTT platform will show the live telecast of the India vs Bangladesh Women’s Asia Cup 2026 semi-final match?
The India vs Bangladesh Women’s Asia Cup 2026 semi-final match will be televised live on the Sony Sports Network and SonyLiv app and Website will do Live Streaming.
India vs Bangladesh Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Squads
India Women Squad: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Pratika Rawal, Radha Yadav, Gunalan Kamalini, Prema Rawat.
Bangladesh Women Squad: Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Sobhana Mostary, Nigar Sultana(w/c), Sharmin Akhter, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun, Marufa Akter, Farjana Easmin, Shanjida Akter Meghla, Sarmin Sultana, Ritu Moni.
