{
  "id": 7125976,
  "title": "Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana Create History With Record-Breaking Stand In Women's Asia Cup 2026 Final",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/shafali-verma-smriti-mandhana-create-history-with-record-breaking",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-13T15:29:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/shafali-verma-smriti-mandhana-create-history-with-record-breaking-stand-in-womens-asia-cup-2026-final"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma crafted an unforgettable opening partnership in the Women's T20 Asia Cup final, surpassing a historic milestone. The Indian duo became the first full member opening pair to achieve six 100-plus partnerships in Women's T20Is. Their dominant innings provided India with a significant advantage against the hosts in the summit clash. Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma Match World Record The century partnership saw Mandhana and Shafali tie with UAE's Esha Oza and Theertha Satish for the most 100-plus stands by any pair in Women's T20Is. New Zealand's Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine follow with five such partnerships. This record underscores the remarkable consistency demonstrated by Mandhana and Shafali in their role as India's opening batsmen. Their collaboration, combining Mandhana's timing and Shafali's powerful batting, has consistently delivered strong starts in T20 cricket, giving India a crucial edge in recent matches. The duo's latest high-scoring stand came during a pivotal phase of the final, putting Sri Lanka under intense pressure early on. With Mandhana and Shafali setting a formidable platform, India aims to build on this strong start to secure a historic victory and claim the Asia Cup title.",
  "summary": "Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma created history in the Women's T20 Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka, becoming the first full member opening pair to register six 100-plus partnerships in Women's T20Is. The Indian duo reached the milestone during a dominant stand in the summit clash, continuing their remarkable consistency at the top of the order. Smriti Mandhana wastes no time, getting India’s…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "How Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana powered India to a record 8th Asia Cup title",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/how-shafali-verma-smriti-mandhana-powered-india-to-a-record-8th-asia",
        "published": "2026-09-13T18:42:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "India win Women’s Asia Cup but do not accept trophy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/india-win-womens-asia-cup-but-do-not-accept-trophy",
        "published": "2026-09-13T20:41:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Times",
        "title": "India win Women’s Asia Cup, but sportsmanship loses out",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/india-win-womens-asia-cup-but-sportsmanship-loses-out",
        "published": "2026-09-13T20:42:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}