Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, witnessed something that had never happened before. Shafali Verma didn't just play a match; she rewrote the rulebook. The India opener struck 100 off just 49 deliveries against Bangladesh, claiming the title of the first cricketer to score a century in the tournament’s entire history.
The numbers are brutal. Nine sixes. Three fours. A strike rate that left the fielders chasing ghosts. While Smriti Mandhana made her own history earlier in the innings by becoming the first Indian woman to hit 100 sixes in T20Is, Shafali outdid her in the same game. She pushed her career tally to 104 sixes, cementing her status as India’s leading six-hitter in women’s T20I cricket.
But it’s the 2026 calendar year stat that’s making heads turn. Shafali has now hit 35 sixes this year, the most by any player in a single calendar year in women’s T20Is. She blew past Chamari Athapaththu’s previous record of 32 (set in 2024) and is currently averaging a six every 14.31 balls. For context, the second-best hitter this year, Athapaththu herself, is managing one every 19.84 balls.
India finished the day with a formidable 195/4 in 20 overs. Mandhana added 37 off 18, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur contributed a steady 40 off 33. Bangladesh’s bowling attack, shared by Sanjida Akter Meghla, Marufa Akter, Nahida Akter, and Rabeya Khatun, couldn't contain the deluge. They now face a stiff target of 196 to chase down a spot in the gold-medal match against Sri Lanka.
The next test is immediate. Can Bangladesh defend 195, or will India’s momentum carry them to the final?