India women registered a comprehensive 94-run victory against Thailand Women in Match 3 of Group A in the Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup 2026 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to kick off their 2026 Asia Cup campaign. Driven by an explosive half-century from opening batter Shafali Verma and a historic bowling spell by veteran allrounder Deepti Sharma, India dominated the fixture despite a concerning middle-order collapse.
A tale of two halves in the first innings
Having been put into bat by Thailand captain Naruemol Chaiwai, India got off to a flier. Opening pair Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana laid a fast-paced foundation. Mandhana struck a quickfire 19 off 10 balls before falling to a sharp run-out, but Verma continued her aggressive onslaught. Verma blasted 64 runs off just 36 deliveries, smashing eight boundaries and three towering sixes to lead India to a commanding 101/2 by the 10th over.
However, Thailand’s bowlers staged an impressive mid-innings fightback led by leg-spinner Suleeporn Laomi. Laomi triggered a massive collapse by dismissing both Verma and Richa Ghosh off back-to-back deliveries. India stumbled badly in the middle overs, losing seven wickets for just 29 runs. Laomi finished with brilliant figures of 3 for 26, while Sunida Chaturongrattana picked up 2 for 31. A crucial unbeaten 22-run 10th-wicket stand between Kranti Gaud (15*) and Shree Charani (6*) pushed India to a total of 159/9 in their 20 overs.
Spin mastery and history for Deepti Sharma
Chasing 160, Thailand never managed to get momentum against India’s disciplined bowling attack. Fast bowler Kranti Gaud and medium-pacer Nandani Sharma removed the top order early, reducing Thailand to 16/2 inside four overs. Middle-order batter Nannapat Koncharoenkai offered resistance with a hard-fought 41 off 48 balls, but she lacked support at the other end as she ended up scoring almost two-thirds of the team’s total. Nandani Sharma finished with 3 wickets for 18 runs.
India’s slow bowlers quickly seized total control of the match as Shree Charani picked up 2 for 10. The highlight of the second innings belonged to off-spinner Deepti Sharma, who delivered a masterclass in bowling accuracy. Deepti swept through the lower order, picking up 3 wickets without conceding a single run in 1.1 overs (3/0). In doing so, she became the leading wicket-taker in Women’s T20 International history. Thailand was eventually bowled out for 65 runs in 16.1 overs, handing India a decisive victory.
