Nepal is set to play the first-ever T20I match against India in the quarter-final of Asian Games Cricket.
India will be Nepal’s 21st T20I opponent and the first-ever opponent to win the World Cup. India clinched T20 World Cup in 2007 defeating Pakistan.
In a lucky draw that took place on Monday, Nepal and India were placed in a competition against each other, and it was Captain Rohit Paudel who drew the lot.
Nepal thrashed Mongolia by a record-breaking 273 runs and Maldives by 138 runs to secure a place in the quarterfinal. Meanwhile, India was already confirmed to play in the quarterfinal along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Nepal played their first-ever ODI match against India on September 4 during Asia Cup 2023. The Nepalese Team also played against India A in July in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Hence, Hence Nepal will be playing the third match against the Indian side in a four-month span.
Match detail:
Date: October 3 (Monday)
Time: 6:45 AM (NST)
Venue: Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field, Hangzhou
Live broadcast: Sony Network and DD Sports (TV channels), Sony LIV
Score: You can cover live scores in cricnepal.com
Weather forecast:
There is almost no chance of rain during the game time despite the weather being partly cloudy. The average temperature will be 29°C with humidity of 63% and wind of 11k/h.
Indian team’s detail:
India’s ODI team is currently geared up for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Hence, they have a different team to compete in the Asian Games. However, this team too is filled up with young superstars who have already shined on the international stage as well as the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Ruturaj Gaikwad is the captain of the team with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, and Rinku Singh being the batters to look out for. Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar are the bowlers Nepalese batters will be facing. Meanwhile, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar are the all-rounders.
India’s most recent T20I series against Ireland concluded with a commanding 2-0 triumph. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rinku Singh displayed exceptional batting abilities, while Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi demonstrated outstanding bowling performances.
What to expect?
The match against India will be Nepal’s fire test. They faced a very lower-ranked side in the first two matches and they are set to compete against India in the quarterfinal, who are definitely the gold contender of the tournament.
It won’t be an easy match for the Nepalese team against the young star-studded Indian team. India too will have good competition from the team coming after sensational results.
Given the boundary size, we can expect a big total from the Indian side if they bat first. Nepal could be troubled by the left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and the pace of Mukesh Kumar. Overall, we can expect an exciting clash.
Probable XI:
Nepal will definitely swap Karan KC back into the XI and continue with their first match’s XI.
Probable XI: Aasif Sheikh (wk), Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Jora, Rohit Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Avinash Bohara
India is playing the first match in the tournament and will field the best possible XI.
Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar
India’s Squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Shivam Dube, Prabhsimran Singh (wk)
Nepal’s squad: Rohit Paudel (C), Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Jora, Binod Bhandari, Dipendra Singh Airee, Bibek Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Pratish GC, Avinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal.
