Shafali Verma bats during the women’s gold medal match. (AP Photo)
Shafali’s 29-ball 48 in the gold-medal match took her tally for the year to 863 runs, moving past Wolvaardt’s 824. In 24 T20Is in 2026, Shafali has now scored 863 runs at an average of 39.22 and a strike rate of 162.83. Her tally includes one century and seven fifties, with a best score of 100 not out. Wolvaardt, meanwhile, has scored 824 runs in 24 matches this year at an average of 43.36 and a strike rate of 138.72. Her tally includes two centuries and four fifties, with a best of 126 not out. Shafali’s record-breaking year has been driven by an extraordinary sequence of performances in knockout matches since the 2025 Women’s World Cup final. After scoring 87 against South Africa in the World Cup final, she has maintained her aggressive approach across the Asia Cup and Asian Games. Her scores in her last five T20Is read 64, 68, 40 not out, 100 not out and 48. She scored 64 off 40 balls against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup semifinal before following it with 68 off 39 in the final against Sri Lanka. 64 (40), Asia Cup SF
The India opener became the highest run-scorer in a calendar year in women’s T20Is, surpassing South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt .