Shafali, Radha shine in India's five-wicket win over Bangladesh in T20 World Cup, can they qualify for semis?

India beat Bangladesh by five wickets in their fourth group stage game in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 at the iconic Old Trafford in Manchester. The chase of 137 was completed with relative comfort in the end, but not before India were made to work through phases of pressure. Meanwhile, the result kept India on track for a semifinal place, while Bangladesh were left to reflect on missed chances in the field and a few lapses at key moments.

Notably,

were asked to bat first and made 136 for 8 in 20 overs. The innings never really got afoot. Juairiya Ferdous scored 33 off 31 balls and kept one end for a long time. Captain Nigar Sultana added 32 off 27 and tried to consolidate the middle overs. Sobhana Mostary contributed 22.

Bangladesh, however, could not accelerate strongly at the death and finished poorly. Ritu Moni and Shorna Akter added some important runs but the total was below par in such a high-voltage clash. But the Indian bowling was largely disciplined. Radha Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with three for 28. Shree Charani bowled well, giving away just two for 21. By that she also became the highest wicket-taker for India in a single edition of the tournament.

Nandni Sharma bagged one wicket but was expensive, giving away 32 runs in her three overs. India had a bad time in the fielding department, too. They missed four opportunities in the middle, three off Ferdous. Those mistakes helped Bangladesh to gather momentum and kept them in the game longer than expected.

India's response was purposeful. was sent off early for 8 and that put some pressure on the top order. Shafali Verma though came back strongly with a brisk 53 off 34 balls. She got a clean hit on the ball and gave India the lead in the chase. Yastika Bhatia made 23 off 18 and backed up during the powerplay.

Bangladesh responded in the middle overs. Rabeya Khan and Ritu Moni scalped wickets at regular intervals. India lost a bit of ground and the chase slowed down for a bit. Richa Ghosh was dismissed for 10 runs which brought some pressure but played a valuable knock of 26 off 15 allowing India to take back the control.

Finally, and made sure there were no more alarms. They led India to victory with their cool batting and judicious strike rotation. India won with six wickets remaining and 19 balls to spare.