India, Sept. 21 -- Growing up in the dusty lanes of Rohtak, Haryana, Shafali Verma loved doing two things: hitting big sixes and watching Doraemon.

As she grew up and made her India debut at 15, she joked that international cricket had left her with little time for the Japanese cartoon series. Now, at 22, she is in Japan herself-soaking in the Asian Games atmosphere, making her opportunities count by playing authoritative cricket.

On Sunday in Aichi, Nisshin, Shafali's innings underlined how far she has come. Her 49-ball 100* powered India to a 114-run semi-final win over Bangladesh, becoming the first woman to score a century in Asian Games cricket. India will face Sri Lanka in the gold medal match on Tuesday.

The hundred was also the...