Shafali, bowlers shine as India crush Thailand by 94 runs

India cruised to a comfortable 94-run victory over Thailand, led by three runs from Nandni Sharma and Deepti Sharma, to begin their Asia Cup 2026 campaign 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. Smriti Mandhana provided solid support at the other end, as the southpaw hit four boundaries during her brief 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.

Shafali was not afraid to break free, despite Pratika's measured strokeplay. 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. India went from 91 for 1 to 137 for 9 in 50 deliveries as a result of that dismissal, and Laomi picked up two more scalps. India was able to add 22 runs in the last two overs thanks to big hits from Kranti Gaud.

Thailand, on the other hand, never seemed to threaten the target once the chase started. 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.