Women's T20 WC: Shafali Verma creates history with first-ball six
What's the story
India's star opener Shafali Verma made history in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, becoming the first batter to hit a six on the first ball of a match. The record-breaking moment came during India's 2026 WT20 World Cup opener against Pakistan at Birmingham's Edgbaston on Sunday. Despite her historic feat, Shafali's innings was cut short as she was caught behind in the first over.
Innings overview
India reach 170 despite Shafali's early dismissal
Batting first, India had a perfect start as Shafali smashed a first-ball maximum off Sadia Iqbal. However, Iqbal dismissed Shafali on the over's final ball. The latter fell for a 5-ball 6. Jemimah Rodrigues also fell to Tasmia Rubab, leaving India at 18/2 (4th over). However, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur took calculated risks, taking India past 100. Pakistan made a comeback, reducing India to 123/5 in 16.2 overs. Richa Ghosh's 17-ball 34 propelled India to 170/6 thereafter.
Information
A look at her numbers
In 15 Women's T20 World Cup matches, Shafali now has 368 runs at an average of 24.53. Her strike rate reads 125.17. Overall, the Indian opener has 2,728 runs from 107 WT20Is at 27.28 (SR: 135.45).