A heavy downpour in the lead-up to the game rendered the outfield at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium sluggish. The pitch was on the slower side, too. But India’s fielding and catching was sloppier than the conditions as Nepal tallied a respectable 230 before being bowled out in the penultimate over in a must-win Asia Cup clash for both teams.
But when it came to a rain-curtailed chase, India’s openers were far from sloppy. Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill dominated Nepal’s bowling attack as the Men in Blue overhauled the revised target of 145 in 23 overs with 17 balls to spare.
Had it not been for the groundstaff’s stupendous effort, India’s reply would not have been possible after two heavy showers. Once the openers resumed at 17 for no loss in 2.1 overs, they were unstoppable.
While Rohit was at his marauding best, especially against the spinners, Gill — who began with three boundaries before the rain arrived — played ideal foil.
Earlier, India’s effort on the field was in contrast to the openers’ stellar show. Shreyas Iyer put down a catch at first slip off the final ball of the first over to deny Mohammed Shami, who replaced Jasprit Bumrah in the XI, a wicket.
If Kushal Bhurtel was fortunate in the opening over, it was his partner Aasif Sheikh’s turn off the very next ball as Virat Kohli at cover missed a sitter off the bowling of Mohammed Siraj.
In the fifth over, Ishan Kishan caught the ‘no catching’ infection as he dropped a catch down the leg-side off Bhurtel. In the sixth over, the opener charged down the wicket to loft Siraj over his head and hooked the next ball into the parking lot over square-leg. It was then Aasif’s turn to go after Siraj in his next over as he hit successive fours. Hardik Pandya was taken for 11 in his first over as Nepal made the PowerPlay count. But Shardul Thakur’s golden arm did the trick in the 10th over as Bhurtel nicked behind to Kishan.
Though the Nepal batters found Ravindra Jadeja extremely tough to negotiate, Aasif laid anchor before being caught by Kohli off Siraj in the 30th over. At 144 for six, India sensed an opportunity to wrap up the innings but Sompal Kami played a delightful knock to help Nepal cross the 200-run mark. But it wasn’t enough once Rohit and Gill took guard.
SCOREBOARD
NEPAL: Kushal Bhurtel c Kishan b Shardul 38 (25b, 3x4, 2x6), Aasif Sheikh c Kohli b Siraj 58 (97b, 8x4), Bhim Sharki b Jadeja 7 (17b), Rohit Paudel c Rohit b Jadeja 5 (8b), Kushal Malla c Siraj b Jadeja 2 (5b), Gulsan Jha c Kishan b Siraj 23 (35b, 3x4), Dipendra Singh Airee lbw b Hardik 29 (25b, 3x4), Sompal Kami c Kishan b Shami 48 (56b, 1x4, 2x6), Sandeep Lamichhane run out 9 (17b), Karan KC (not out) 2 (2b), Lalit Rajbanshi b Siraj 0 (3b); Extras (lb-6, w-3): 9; Total (in 48.2 overs): 230.
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-65 (Bhurtel, 9.5 overs), 2-77 (Sharki, 15.6), 3-93 (Paudel, 19.6), 4-101 (Malla, 21.5), 5-132 (Aasif, 29.5), 6-144 (Gulsan, 31.5), 7-194 (Dipendra, 41.1), 8-228 (Kami, 47.2), 9-229 (Lamichhane, 47.4).
INDIA BOWLING: Shami 7-0-29-1, Siraj 9.2-1-61-3, Hardik 8-3-34-1, Shardul 4-0-26-1, Jadeja 10-0-40-3, Kuldeep 10-2-34-0.
INDIA: (Target: 145 in 23 overs): Rohit Sharma (not out) 74 (59b, 6x4, 5x6), Shubman Gill (not out) 67 (62b, 8x4, 1x6); Extras (lb-1, w-5): 6; Total (for no loss in 20.1 overs): 147.
NEPAL BOWLING: Karan 4-0-26-0, Kami 2-0-23-0, Rajbanshi 4-0-24-0, Lamichhane 4-0-39-0, Dipendra 2-0-12-0, Malla 3-0-11-0, Gulsan 1.1-0-11-0.
Toss: India; PoM: Rohit.
India won by 10 wickets with 17 balls remaining (DLS method).
