Asia Cup 2023: IND vs NEP Review – Nepal fold against mighty India
India needed to win their final Group A fixture against Nepal to step into the Super Four stage of Asia Cup 2023. The seven-time champions faced debutants Nepal on Monday, September 4 and did exactly that to book their ticket.
India won the toss and elected to field first at the Pallekele International Stadium in Pallekele. The fielding left a lot to be desired as the ‘Men in Blue’ dropped three catches inside the first Powerplay. Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, and Ishan Kishan, who are quite good on the field, failed to latch onto three relatively straightforward chances.
The openers formed a fifty-plus partnership thanks to some aggressive batting from Kushal Bhurtel, who scored 38 off 25 balls. His opening partner, Aasif Sheikh took his time at the crease and gave Bhurtel good support. After the latter was dismissed, Sheikh went on to register a half-century. However, the batter who followed, could not cope with the relentless accuracy of Ravindra Jadeja. The veteran scalped three wickets, giving away just 40 runs in 10 overs. Mohammed Siraj also picked up a three-for but was on the expensive side.
Lower down the order, Sompal Kami played a fine knock of 48 off 56 balls to help Nepal set a target of 231. The Indian openers had to wait to chase down the total but eventually reached there with 10 wickets in hand after DLS reduced the target to 145 off 23 overs. Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 62-ball 67 while Rohit Sharma ended on 74* off 59 balls.
Best Batter of the match – Rohit Sharma:
The Indian skipper started on a cautious note as Shubman did the heavy lifting in the initial stages. However, once Rohit got a feel of the surface, he cut loose and toyed with the Nepal bowlers. He played some unorthodox shots to entertain the fans in attendance. After a rare blip against Pakistan, this knock will hold him in good stead for the Super Four stage.
Best Bowler of the match – Ravindra Jadeja:
The left-arm spinner was very accurate and attacked the stumps. Nepal batters were frustrated as they weren’t getting too many loose deliveries to score their runs. Jadeja used the angles and varied his pace to perfection. The experienced campaigner picked up the wickets of Bhim Sharki, Nepal captain Rohit Paudel, and Kushal Malla. What’s next for both teams? Nepal have been knocked out of the competition while India have progressed to the Super Four stage. India will face Pakistan on Sunday, September 10 in the Super Four stage.
