Led by three strikes apiece from Nandni Sharma and Deepti Sharma, India cruised to a comfortable 94-run win over Thailand to kickstart their Asia Cup 2026 campaign in style in Dubai. Chasing 160 for victory, Thailand were bundled out for 65, with only Nannapat Koncharoenkai making a notable contribution with the bat on Sunday, stroking a 48-ball 41.
Despite the big margin of victory, India’s performance wasn’t without its share of worries. Put in to bat, the tournament favourites blazed away to a quick start led by Shafali Verma’s 36-ball 64. She was ably supported by Smriti Mandhana from the other end as the southpaw cracked four boundaries in her short 10-ball stay. The duo picked up 38 runs in three overs before Shafali carried on the carnage in the company of debutant Pratika Rawal, and helped India to 65 runs in the powerplay.
While Pratika was measured with her strokeplay, Shafali wasn’t hesitant to cut loose. However, soon after the partnership had flourished past the 50-run mark, Rawal was cleaned up by a delivery from Suleeporn Laomi that stayed low after pitching. That dismissal triggered a collapse as India slipped from 91 for 1 to 137 for 9, in a space of 50 deliveries, with Laomi adding two more scalps to her credit. Kranti Gaud’s big hits in the last couple of overs helped India add 22 runs in the last couple of overs.
However, once the chase began, Thailand never seemed to threaten the target. The slide started from the opening over when Nattakam Chantam was cleaned up by Gaud. Sree Charani struck twice while Nandni and Deepti ripped through the middle and lower order with three strikes each. Barring Koncharoenkai, none of the other batters managed to register a double-digit score, with Laomi’s 6 being the joint second best score of the innings.
Brief Scores: India 159/9 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 64, Pratika Rawal 22; Suleeporn Laomi 3-26) beat Thailand 65 in 16.1 overs (Nannapat Koncharoenkai 41; Deepti Sharma 3-0, Nandni Sharma 3-18) by 94 runs
