In the fifth match of the Asia Cup 2023, India defeated Nepal by 10 wickets (DLS method) at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele, Sri Lanka.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field first. While Nepal batters looked in fine form at the beginning of the first innings, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj brought back the Men in Blue with quick wickets in the middle overs.
In the chase, with rain on the cards, Indian batters always wanted to be above the asking run rate to avoid any unfortunate defeat. Nonetheless, the side faced some rain straightaway in the fifth over, and the match was resumed an hour and a half later with India needing 128 runs in 125 balls. Both openers, Rohit Sharma (74*) and Shubman Gill (67*), smashed Nepal bowlers all around the park to chase the target in just 20.1 overs. While Rohit hit six fours and five mind-boggling sixes, Gill also struck eight fours and a six.
Nepal had a terrific start with both their openers, Kushal Bhurtel (38) and Aasif Sheikh (58), scoring 65 runs together in the powerplay. While Bhurtel hit three fours and two sixes, Sheikh scored a magnificent half-century, which included eight fours. Later on, Nepal lost four quick wickets, which damaged their momentum. Sompel Kami (48) further played an important knock, which took Nepal to a respectable total of 230. Gulsan Jha (23) and Dipendra Singh (29) also contributed a few runs towards the end.
Ravindra Jadeja was the top bowler for India, as he managed to take three quick wickets. Mohammed Siraj also plucked three wickets, while one wicket each was grabbed by Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur.
Skipper Rohit was awarded Player of the Match for his scintillating batting show. Following this win, India have now qualified for the Super Fours stage.
Scorecard:
Nepal: 230/10, Overs 48.2, Aasif Sheikh 58, Ravindra Jadeja 3/40
India: 147/0, Overs 20.1, Rohit Sharma 74*