Pallekele: India beat Nepal by 10 wickets in their second Group A clash of Asia Cup 2023 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Monday (September 4) to secure a place for themselves in the Super Fours. While India's match against Pakistan was abandonded without a result after India's innings, India chose to bowl first in this match bowling Nepal out for 230 in not the best of days for the Men in Blue on field.
The Indian team dropped three catches inside the first 3 overs and were guilty of many misfields and a few overthrows that helped Nepal, who were playing their first-ever One Day International against world number 3 India, bat 48.2 overs. Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj were the pick of the bowlers for the Men in Blue as they both scalped 3 wickets apiece for 40 and 61 runs respectively. For Nepal, Aasif Sheikh was the top-scorer with 58 while Sompal Kami scored 48.
Rain returned after 13 balls were bowled in the Indian innings. However, after a long delay, the match resumed at 10:15 pm (local time) with India getting a revised target of 145 runs in 23 overs. Rohit and Gill eased to their target in this revised chase comfortably ensuring that all 10 wickets remain in the kitty. Both the openers scored half-centuries and while the Indian skipper remained unbeaten on 74 off 59, Gill made 67* off 62.
The victory means India has now sealed a place in the Super Fours, becoming the second team to do so after Pakistan. Both the neighbouring countries finish with 3 points from 2 matches and go through from Group A. They will await the Afghanistan-Sri Lanka match schdeduled on September 5 (Wednesday) to find out which two teams join them in the next round of the continental tournament. The win also means India vs Pakistan round 2 in Asia Cup is confirmed with the match as of now scheduled to take place on September 10 in Colombo. However, there have been reports which suggest that the match could be shifted to a different venue because of heavy rains in the Sri Lankan capital. No official confirmation though has come from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) as yet.