Smriti Mandhana Gets A Send-Off From Bangladesh Star [Source: X]In a disappointing moment, India Women lost star opener Smriti Mandhana early in the crucial semi-final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 against Bangladesh Women. Her wicket put India in a tough spot early in the first innings.Bangladesh opted to bowl first after winning the toss, and hence Mandhana walked out to open the innings for India alongside Shafali Verma. However, Bangladesh had the perfect plan to stop Smriti from taking off in the powerplay.Smriti Mandhana humiliated by Bangladeshi fielderFor the final delivery of the second over, Smriti Mandhana tried to play an aggressive shot over the top against Sultana Khatun, similar to an earlier mistake committed by Shafali Verma.While Shafali survived due to a dropped catch, Mandhana’s luck was rotten. She tried to hit the ball across the line but failed to make proper contact. A leading edge carried to Shorna Akter, who was fielding at mid-on.She ran backwards while keeping her eyes on the ball and judged it well to complete the catch with her fingers pointing upwards. As soon as Akter grabbed the ball, she silenced Mandhana and pulled off an aggressive send-off.Anil Bansal @dilseanilbansal OH SMRITI… YOU JUST GIFTED THEM ONE! 😜🎁 Smriti Mandhana falls for just 2 runs against Bangladesh in the semi-final! 😳🇮🇳 That’s one wicket Bangladesh will happily take! 😜🔥 India needed her big time… but Smriti just handed Bangladesh a BIG moment! 💔 Can Team India Sep 10, 2026, 8:23 PM Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana chose not to react to the provocative gesture and walked back to the dressing room after scoring just 2 runs in 5 balls. Her early wicket came as a huge blow to India Women in a must-win semi-final.Also Read - Anjum Chopra Takes Smriti Mandhana To The Cleaners Despite India's Historic Win vs PakistanMandhana’s mixed run in Women’s Asia Cup 2026Having said that, fans had huge expectations from Smriti Mandhana before the semi-final against Bangladesh Women as she had scored 124 runs against Hong Kong in the league stage game.However, her form dropped in the high-pressure contest against Pakistan Women as she was dismissed for just 9 runs in a low run chase. While India won that game, Mandhana had to face criticism.Now, in the semi-final, Smriti Mandhana was expected to perform as she holds a high standard when it comes to knockout games. But her cheap dismissal disappointed the fans, and questions will be raised about her if things go south for India.India’s journey in Women’s Asia Cup While Smriti Mandhana had a mixed run in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026, India Women, as a unit, had a successful campaign. They topped the Group A standings after winning all three games against Thailand, Hong Kong and Pakistan.Against Pakistan, the women in blue were ruthless as the bowlers bowled out the opposition for just 55 runs. India completed the chase in just 8.4 overs to claim a landslide 7-wicket victory.However, against Bangladesh in the semi-final, India Women are off to a sloppy start. After Smriti Mandhana, they also lost Pratika Rawal in the 10th over. Still, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is at the crease to ensure her team regains momentum before time runs out.Also Read - Team India's Key Member Resigns Ahead of Afghanistan T20Is
