India thrash Nepal to reach Super 4 of Asia Cup

• India defeated Nepal by 10 wickets in a rain-shortened match.
• Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill scored half-centuries for India.
• Aasif Sheikh and Sompal Kami put up a strong fight for Nepal.

On a rainy day in Kandy, India defeated Nepal by 10 wickets by successfully chasing a revised target of 145 runs in the 21st over at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Due to persistent showers throughout the day, the match was shortened to 23 overs.

India’s opening pair, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, comfortably achieved the target, with both batsmen scoring half-centuries and securing their team’s spot in the Super Four.

Sharma played a brilliant innings, making 74 runs off 59 balls, which included six fours and five sixes, while Gill contributed 67 runs off 62 balls with nine boundaries.

India’s previous game against Pakistan on Saturday (September 2) was abandoned due to rain, resulting in the teams sharing points.

This loss means Nepal, participating in their first-ever Asia Cup, has been eliminated from the tournament.

In the first innings, Aasif Sheikh and Sompal Kami put up a strong fight, helping Nepal reach a competitive total of 231 runs against India in the fifth match of the tournament.

The Asia Cup newcomers had a stroke of luck at the start as India dropped three catches in the first five overs, missing a chance for a dream beginning.

The opening pair of Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh put up 65 runs before Shardul Thakur dismissed one of them, providing India with their first breakthrough.

Aasif played a responsible innings, completing his well-deserved fifty but was eventually dismissed by Mohammad Siraj after scoring 58 runs.

Following Aasif’s dismissal, Nepal kept losing wickets at regular intervals, but it was Kami who played a crucial role, scoring 48 runs off 56 deliveries to guide his team.

Dipendra Singh Airee and Gulshan Jha also made valuable contributions with 29 and 23 runs, respectively.

Lineups:

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj

Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Rohit Paudel (captain), Sompal Kami, Gulshan Jha, Bhim Sharki, Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi

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