The Indian women's cricket team secured their eighth Women's Asia Cup title, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final, a triumph that has garnered widespread congratulations from top Indian leaders.
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will rely heavily on openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma to perform against a challenging Pakistan side in their ICC Women's T20 World Cup campaign opener.
India's teen sensation Shafali Verma moved up a rung to regain her position at the top of the ICC Women's T20I rankings for batters while her opening partner Smriti Mandhana dropped a spot to fourth.
Indian cricketers Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma reveal the personal motivations and legendary advice that helped them perform under pressure during their maiden ODI World Cup title win last year.
Shafali Verma scripted a new record to her name as the opener blasted the highest score by an Indian batter in the Women's World Cup final.
Former India women's cricket captain Anjum Chopra believes that merely replacing Harmanpreet Kaur as captain will not solve the fundamental issues plaguing the team, citing a significant lack of quality back-up options across all departments.
Smriti Mandhana etched her name in the annals of cricket history, becoming the batter with the most centuries in women's international cricket while hitting the most centuries in women's international cricket in the Women's Asia Cup match against Hong Kong in Dubai on Thursday.
Smriti Mandhana is more suited to lead India in the longer formats after Harmanpreet Kaur's tenure ends while the much younger Shafali Varma can be handed the reins of the T20 side following another pre-mature exit from the World Cup, former captain legendary Mithali Raj said.
Harmanpreet Kaur's rapid 56 helped India post 170 for four against Australia in a must-win Women's T20 World Cup match. Despite a strong start from openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, the middle order struggled for acceleration, leaving Harmanpreet to boost the total in the final overs.
The Indian women's cricket team is set to face Bangladesh in a critical T20 World Cup Group A match, aiming to address persistent middle-order batting struggles and fielding lapses. While openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have provided strong starts, the inability of the middle order to capitalise has put pressure on the lower order. India, currently second in their group, needs a strong performance to solidify their semi-final chances, especially after a recent loss to South Africa highlighted their vulnerabilities.
Indian women's cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup and Asian Games due to a high-grade hamstring tear sustained during The Hundred tournament in England. Pratika Rawal has been named as her replacement for the Asia Cup.
Shafali Verma was named captain of the North Zone team for the Senior Inter-Zonal T20 Trophy, starting in Nagaland, from Tuesday.
Shafali toils in India nets ahead of World Cup semifinal against Australia
Accepting the flaws in her game was fundamental to her resurgence as a more compact batter, India opener Shafali Verma said.
VVS Laxman, BCCI's Centre of Excellence chief, will coach the Indian men's cricket team at the upcoming Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. He will be assisted by Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh. Gautam Gambhir, the regular head coach, will be with the senior team for the West Indies ODI series. Amol Muzumdar will continue as the head coach for the Indian women's team, who will also defend their title.
Smriti Mandhana may have smashed successive half-centuries to rediscover her touch, but the India vice-captain insists she is still nowhere near her best.
India opener Shafali Verma's match-winning performance with the bat in the Women's World Cup final against South Africa last month has earned her the ICC 'Player of the Month' award for November.
Shafali Verma has leapfrogged Australia's Beth Mooney with scores of 23 and 47.
Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has surpassed Mithali Raj to become the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket across all formats, achieving this milestone with a sensational 124-run innings against Hong Kong in the Women's Asia Cup 2026. Mithali Raj congratulated Mandhana on her achievement.
India women's bowling coach Avishkar Salvi detailed the team's comprehensive workload management plans for all bowlers, ensuring optimal performance through various phases of training and rest. He also addressed the recent batting collapse against Thailand, acknowledging occasional shortfalls but highlighting the team's resilience and lower-order contributions.
Shafali Verma, whose blazing 87 and two key wickets powered the country to its maiden ICC Women's World Cup title, was named in the ICC Player of the Month shortlist for November.
Despite India's dominant Asia Cup victory, head coach Amol Muzumdar acknowledged fielding as an area for improvement, while dismissing concerns over the middle-order's performance.
Shafali revealed how training with the Haryana men's team ahead of the Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament helped her improve her game
Harmanpreet Kaur was on Tuesday retained as captain of a largely predictable 15-member India squad for this year's Asian Games in Japan.
Young left-arm spinner Shree Charani discusses the Indian women's cricket team's strategy, particularly among slow bowlers, after their dominant seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Women's T20 Asia Cup. India bowled out Pakistan for their lowest-ever T20I total of 55, securing a semifinal spot and topping their group.
India secured a dominant seven-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in an inconsequential Women's Asia Cup T20 match.
All-round India defeat Sri Lanka by 30 runs to take 4-0 lead in women's T20Is series
Shafali Verma turned doubt into destiny as India lifted their first-ever Women's World Cup title.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) are reportedly dissatisfied with the arrangements and facilities for the upcoming Asian Games cricket tournament in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Concerns include inadequate dressing rooms, distant washrooms, and small hotel rooms. As a result, India might send a 'B' team instead of the previously announced full-strength squad, pending a report from a BCCI observer.
The World Cup winners' medal is the latest addition to Verma's trophy cabinet, which also includes the 2023 Under-19 World Cup, the 2022 Asia Cup, the 2022 Asian Games gold medal and the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver.
In a dramatic twist ahead of the Women's World Cup semifinal, India have recalled Shafali Verma to the ODI setup after more than a year, following an unfortunate injury to in-form opener Pratika Rawal on Monday.
India defeated West Indies by 26 runs in their first Women's T20 World Cup warm-up match. Bharti Fulmali's unbeaten 56 and strong bowling performances from Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav secured the victory, despite a batting collapse by the West Indies.
15-year-old IPL sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could become the nation's youngest international player with a potential call-up for the Ireland tour.
Marizanne Kapp struck a scintillating 45-ball 81 as South Africa overwhelmed India by six wickets in their ICC Women's T20 World Cup clash, in Manchester, on Sunday.
Opener Shafali Verma smashed a quickfire half-century as India women thrashed Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second T20 International in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
India Women's cricket team, fresh off two commanding victories, prepares to face a strong South Africa side in a crucial ICC Women's T20 World Cup Group 1 match. The contest is expected to highlight India's powerful top order against South Africa's varied bowling, with both teams aiming to build momentum and address fielding improvements.
Former cricketer Reema Malhotra believes the Indian women's cricket team is a strong contender to win the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup, largely because of its strong spin bowling resources.
India has opened its Asian Games medal tally with two silvers in shooting, driven by Elavenil Valarivan's performance, and secured an unexpected podium finish in Mixed Martial Arts. The women's cricket team also advanced to the finals, aiming for a second consecutive gold.
'The only thought was that we have to give it all in those seven hours for our country.'
Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana on Saturday said India will play an "aggressive brand of cricket" against Australia in the must-win Women's T20 World Cup match in London.
