Asian Games, cricket: India aim for perfect start against Nepal
The Indian men's cricket team will start their 2023 Asian Games campaign on October 3 when they will face Nepal in the quarter-finals. The Men in Blue directly booked their place in the quarter-finals, courtesy of being the top-seeded team in the competition. Led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, the men's team will look to replicate the women's cricket team and bag the gold medal.
Venue, timing, streaming details, and more
The men's cricket event at the Asian Games will be played in T20 format. All the matches are played at the Zhejiang University Pingfeng Cricket Field. The track has seen massive scores in the last few matches as the boundary ropes are short. India will play against Nepal in the quarter-finals on October 3 from 6:30 AM IST on Sony Sports Network.
Here's a look at the format
The men's cricket event is being contested by 14 teams. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have qualified for the quarter-finals directly. The remaining nine teams have been divided into three groups. After a single-legged round-robin format, the group toppers will join the other five teams in the quarter-finals. Nepal, Hong Kong, and Malaysia have won their respective groups to qualify for QFs.
First-time Indian cricket teams featuring in the Asian Games
This is the first time India have fielded the men's and women's team at the Asian Games. Overall, this is the second time the men's cricket team is playing in a multi-sport event after they featured in the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Cricket has happened only twice at the Asian Games before this (2010, 2014). Bangladesh (2010) and SL (2014) were the winners (men's).
India have sent a second-string squad to the Asiad
Because of the 2023 World Cup clashing with the Asiad, the BCCI has sent a second-string team to Hangzhou. Squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Dube, Prabhsimran Singh, and Akash Deep. Reserves: Yash Thakur, Sai Kishore, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Sai Sudharsan.
India aim to dominate; Nepal have a point to prove
The Indian team will look to get used to the Asian Games, considering the new conditions. However, Nepal will look for redemption for the Asia Cup as they have given a good account of themselves in Hangzhou. They shattered records with their win over Mongolia followed by a win over Maldives. While India will start favorites, Nepal will look to put up a fight.
A look at the key performers
Kushal Malla slammed the fastest T20I century (137*) against Mongolia and is the highest run-scorer in the tournament (184 runs). Rohit Paudel has smashed two fifties (113 runs). Abinash Bohara, with eight wickets, is their highest wicket-taker. Gaikwad has scored 212 runs in 11 T20Is, slamming two fifties. Bishnoi has claimed 20 wickets in 13 T20Is. Dube owns a T20I strike rate of 136.55.
The women's team clinched the gold medal
The Indian women's team defeated Sri Lanka in the final to clinch the gold medal. India were restricted to 116/7 from their 20 overs, but courtesy of some quality bowling from Titas Sadhu (3/6) saw them them bag a 19-run victory. Sri Lanka could only manage 97/8 from their allotted 20 overs. Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana scored crucial runs.
