Shafali's T20I best blasts India into the semi-final
The opener made 81, while Rodrigues chipped in with a 15-ball unbeaten 28 to help India out-bat Nepal
The opener made 81, while Rodrigues chipped in with a 15-ball unbeaten 28 to help India out-bat Nepal
Scorer: K Vairavan | Commentator: @himanshu_a30
So India's win confirms their own place in the semi-final, with Pakistan the other side from this group which progresses to the semi-final. The other two semi-finalists are not known yet, although you'd expect it would be Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. We'll get to know that tomorrow, though, and until then, it is a goodnight and goodbye from us here tonight! See you!
India captain Smriti Mandhana: "As an opener, you don't have a lot of games when you don't get to bat. Really happy with the way Shafali batted... We finished off really well. Not a lot of pre-decision. The wind is different to what we have back home. Some runs under the belt always gives them confidence. Really good game to get things going. Not only this tournament, but also in the last five or six months, the preparation [for the T20 World Cup had started]... We always believe that it if you have to win the World Cup, it's a big preparation. They always had a smile on their faces; they were enjoying each and every ball. Hopefully, they keep improving. [On the semi-final] You don't take any team lightly. Nothing changes for us. We have time to rest and practice as well."
Shafali Verma is the Player of the Match: "I just tried to back my strenghth, and it worked. The consistency is coming, but I want to finish better. To score 200 [like she did against South Africa recently] is a big thing for a batter, and I got a lot of confidence from it. I hope I continue to do well for the team."
Nepal captain Indu Barma: "Proud of my team, and the effort we put in - I think we realised our weakness. We'll come back stronger. We got lot of exposure playing against India. Definitely happy with my team. After the tenth over, our bowlers got good momentum. My team-mates and I got lots of experience playing against India and Pakistan."
Time for the presentations
Sandip Poudel: "The last time Nepal played against India in the Women's Asia Cup was in 2016, and they were bowled out for 21. As Nepalese, I'm absolutely satisfied with the way they batted today (and the whole tournament). Onwards and upwards, ladies!"
9.58pm A comprehensive win for India to confirm their semi-final spot. A target of 179 was always going to prove excessive for Nepal's batters against an in-form and experienced India attack. Their chase never got going, as Reddy, Deepti and Radha kept pushing them back. But India's win was set up by Verma's 81 off 48 balls, as they cruise into the final four. Hang around for the presentations.
Sabnam
K Shrestha c & b Sharma 3 (12m 7b 0x4 0x6) SR: 42.85
The opener made 81, while Rodrigues chipped in with a 15-ball unbeaten 28 to help India out-bat Nepal