India kicked off their Asian Games campaign with a commanding 23-run victory over Nepal in the quarterfinals. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s explosive century set the tone, supported by a strong collective bowling effort, propelling them into the semi-finals after limiting Nepal to a score of 179/9.
In the pursuit of the formidable target, Nepal faced early setbacks as Avesh Khan made a crucial breakthrough, dismissing Aasif Sheikh in the 4th over on a score at 10. Despite their efforts to stabilize the innings, Nepal encountered another setback in the 9th over as Sai Kishore removed Kushal Bhurtel, who had scored 28 runs.
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Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi, took three wickets each, along with contributions from Arshdeep Singh (2 wickets) and Sai Kishore (1 wicket), collectively contributed to India’s strong bowling performance.
In their match against Nepal, India’s young opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad wasted no time in launching an early attack on the Nepali bowlers. They impressively reached the 50-run mark in just 4 overs.
Jaiswal’s fiery innings saw him reach a blazing half-century in a mere 22 balls, achieved in the 7th over of the innings with a spectacular six.
Ruturaj, playing a stabilizing role, unfortunately departed in the 10th after scoring 25 runs, courtesy of Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee.
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Nepal secured their second wicket in quick succession when Sompal Kami dismissed Tilak Varma in the 12th over.
From the opposite end, Jaiswal continued his explosive performance, consistently taking on the Nepal bowlers in every over. He achieved a remarkable century in the 16th over, completing it in just 48 balls. However, Jaiswal’s fantastic innings came to an end when Airee delivered a full toss, which Jaiswal couldn’t clear, leading to a catch by Bohara.
Rinku Singh’s power-hitting abilities were on full show during the final over the innings as the 25-year-old helped India set a substantial target of 202 runs in their quota of 20 overs.
Brief score: India 202/4 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 100, Rinku Singh 37, Dipendra Singh Airee 2-31) vs Afghanistan 179/9 (Dipendra Singh Airee 32, Sundeep Jora 29, Ravi Bishnoi 3-24).
(With inputs from ANI)
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Updated: 03 Oct 2023, 11:18 AM IST
