Happy with the way things are going, says Harmanpreet Kaur as India reach Asia Cup final

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was pleased with her team’s all-round performance after the defending champions booked their place in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026 final with a convincing 40-run win over Bangladesh in the first semi-final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

Batting first, India posted 149/5 on a slow surface that made stroke-making difficult for most batters. Shafali Verma stood out with an attacking 64 off 40 balls, while Harmanpreet, Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma chipped in with valuable runs.

India’s spinners then took control of the chase, restricting Bangladesh to 109/7 in 20 overs. Deepti Sharma led the attack with 3/26, while Shree Charani and Prema Rawat also claimed a wicket each.

Reflecting on the performance, Harmanpreet said she was pleased with the way both departments have performed throughout the tournament.

“Happy with the way things are going. Happy with the way our batting and bowling are going. There was value to the good balls. If you were giving revs, then you were giving value to the balls,” Harmanpreet said after the match.

“Spinners from both teams bowled well today. Batters had it hard, and the spinners used the pitch really well.”

The India skipper also highlighted the importance of small partnerships, particularly on a surface where building an innings was challenging.

“The small partnerships matter, especially on a pitch like this. Richa also played a few valuable shots. Deepti was excellent with the ball and got us a few breakthroughs,” she added.

Shafali, who was named Player of the Match, admitted the humid conditions made batting uncomfortable but said she remained focused on staying calm and adapting to the situation.

“It was very humid out there. Sometimes I couldn’t even breathe, but I had to relax. I didn’t get those balls early on, and I tried to play grounded, and I got a few chances,” Shafali said.

The opener, who was dropped three times during her innings, made Bangladesh pay for their missed opportunities. She was put down on 6, 11 and 56 before completing a 40-ball 64 that included three sixes.

“I know it’s my job to hit sixes and fours in the powerplay, so I’m trying to do that,” Shafali added.

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana admitted her side failed to execute their plans after producing several impressive performances earlier in the tournament.

“We didn’t bowl well, unlike the other last three games. We fielded well in other games, not today; we put down chances. That was the pressure, I guess. Just a bad day for the whole team,” Nigar said.

“Our batting powerplay was not good too. We bowled well, we created our chances, but we couldn’t capitalise.”