Asia Cup 2023: India humble Nepal to reach Super Fours
India beat Nepal in a run-curtailed Asia Cup 2023 fixture at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The Men in Blue chased down the revised target of 145 runs, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill leading the charge. Earlier, Nepal were bowled out for 230, although their impressive batting made headlines. Besides, India have made it to the Super Four along with Pakistan.
A look at the match's summary
Nepal openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh added 65 runs after India elected to field. However, Shardul Thakur broke the crucial stand. Ravindra Jadeja's triple strikes initiated Nepal's batting collapse. Knocks from Aasif (58) and Sompal Kami (48) guiding Nepal past 200. India's target was down to 145 (23) after rain intervened. Rohit and Gill made it one-sided as India won by 10 wickets.
Rohit leads from the front
Rohit finally broke his string of low scores in white-ball cricket. After surviving the initial spell, the Indian skipper negotiated the Nepal bowlers with his thunderous strikes. He led from the front, having scored his 49th half-century in ODIs. It was his 10th fifty-plus Asia Cup score. Rohit returned unbeaten on 74 off 59 balls, a knock laced with 6 fours and five maximums.
Fastest Indian to 1,500 ODI runs
Gill started his innings with a whacking boundary and continued to play in that manner. He smashed a 62-ball 67* (8 fours and 1 six). As a result, the Indian opener completed 1,500 runs in ODI cricket. He reached the landmark in 29 ODI innings of as many games. Shreyas Iyer was the previous fastest Indian to get the mark, having taken 34 innings.
Joint-most wickets for India in ODI Asia Cup
All-rounder Jadeja was the pick of India's bowlers in the match. He took three wickets for 40 runs in 10 overs. Jadeja is now India's joint-highest wicket-taker in the ODI Asia Cup. He now has 22 wickets, the joint-most for India along with Irfan Pathan. Notably, Jadeja and Pathan are the only Indian bowlers to have taken over 20 wickets in this tournament.
Most wickets in Asia Cup among active players
Jadeja is now the highest wicket-taker in the ODI Asia Cup among active cricketers. He is only behind Muthiah Muralidaran (30), Lasith Malinga (29), Ajantha Mendis (26), Saeed Ajmal (25), and Chaminda Vaas (23) on the overall list.
A counter-attacking knock from Bhurtel
Bhurtel was at his best against India. The Nepal opener was dropped in the slips in the very first over. However, he launched a counter-attack wherein he took on each of the four Indian seamers. As mentioned, Nepal crossed 60 in before the 10th over, which saw Bhurtel's departure. He smashed a 25-ball 38, a knock laced with 3 fours and 2 sixes.
Third Nepal batter with 1,000 ODI runs
Bhurtel, who made his ODI debut in 2021, has raced to 1,000 runs in ODI cricket. Only Rohit Paudel and Aasif Sheikh own more ODI runs than him among Nepal batters. Bhurtel has smashed six fifties and a solitary ton in the format.
Second Nepal batter with 1,200 ODI runs
Aasif, who had a cautious approach, smashed 58 off 97 balls. He hammered eight fours in his knock. He was the only Nepal batter to touch the 50-run mark. It was his 10th half-century in the format. Aasif became only the second Nepal player to complete 1,200 runs in ODI cricket. He now has 1,250 runs in the format at 31.25.
Aasif attains this feat
Aasif has become the first Nepal batter to have scored 10 half-centuries in ODI cricket. Nepal skipper Rohit Paudel is Aasif's closest rival, with eight half-centuries. Notably, Aasif also has a century in the format.
Aasif and Bhurtel complete 1,000 partnership runs
Over the past few years, Aasif and Bhurtel have driven Nepal's batting forward. They have become the first Nepal pair to complete 1,000 partnership runs in ODI cricket. The duo now owns 1,017 runs as a pair. Aasif and skipper Rohit Paudel make the only other Nepal batting pair to have scored over 550 runs (585).
India reach Super Fours
As mentioned, India have reached the Super Fours, while Nepal have been eliminated. The Men in Blue gained a point after their maiden encounter against Pakistan was washed out. Now, both India and Pakistan have qualified for the Super Fours from Group A. Meanwhile, Group B includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The two qualifiers from this group are yet to be ascertained.
