30 August,2026 07:58 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shafali Verma (Pic: File Pic)
Team India is set to lock horns with Thailand in the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026 on August 30. The clash is scheduled to be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
Ahead of the clash, Team India's explosive batswoman Shafali Verma is 99 runs shy of completing 3000 runs in her T20I career. So far, having played 111 T20I matches, the right-handed batswoman has scored 2901 runs, including 18 half-centuries. Her top score in the format is 81 runs.
If she manages to score the required runs, Shafali will then become the third Team India player to achieve the feat. Earlier, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur have completed 3000 runs for the "Women in Blue" in the shortest format of the game.
In the ongoing Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026, Team India is placed in Group A along with teams: Thailand, Hong Kong, and arch-rivals Pakistan.
Group B consists of teams: Sri Lanka, UAE, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.
India has been the most dominant team in the Women's T20 Asia Cup over the last decade - winning the title thrice in five editions of the T20 format since 2016-17 - but their performances bring forth more concerns than assurances at the moment.
Team India has lost nine of 16 T20Is this year, and their most recent loss - against Australia in the Women's T20 World Cup - knocked the "Women in Blue" out of the competition at the group stage itself. Thailand, meanwhile, will look to draw confidence from the victory over Hong Kong in the opening match, for which the side had to work hard.
The highly anticipated clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is scheduled to be played on September 5 at the same venue.
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Bharti Fulmali, Renuka Singh, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Nandani Sharma, Pratika Rawal, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Gunlan Kamalini (WK), Prema Rawat.
Thailand: Suleeporn Laomi, Naruemol Chaiwai (C), Chanida Sutthiruang, Natthakan Chantham, Nannapat Koncharoenkai (WK), Onnicha Kamchomphu, Phannita Maya, Sunida Chaturongrattana, Thipatcha Putthawong, Aphisara Suwanchonrathi, Nannaphat Chaihan, Chayanisa Phengpaen, Koranit Suwanchonrathi, Thanrada Seesawan, Naomi Kanokporn Hamilton.
