India were the favorites to win the event against a competitive Nepalese side. The last Group A match of Asia Cup 2023 has concluded with the result that everyone was expecting. India defeated Nepal by 10 wickets with 17 balls remaining. The result was delivered under the DLS method.
India has qualified for the Super 4 stage of the tournament by finishing the league phase in the second position. They share the total number of points with their arch-rivals; however, they lag in terms of net run rate. While Sharma’s men have +1.028 as an NRR, Azam’s army is at the top with +4.490. They secured the jump after beating Nepal by a massive margin of 238 runs.
Needless to say, Nepal is at the bottom of the table with 0 points and an NRR of -3.572. Their fierce demonstration of strength has earned them a lot of respect. Imagine a side scoring near the average first-innings run against the Giants because that’s what Nepal did. Their batting shots took them to 230 runs in 48.2 overs.
Group B has Sri Lanka at the top of the table with 2 points and a positive rate of +0.951. Another win, and they will make their way to the next round of Asia Cup 2023. It just remains to be seen where they end the group stage. NRR-wise, they are all set, for Bangladesh carries the luggage of +0.373 for the same number of points.
Pressure is all on Afghanistan after having lost to insolent Bangladesh. Currently, at the third rank, they are yet to open an account with a point against their name. All they have is an NRR worth -1.780. The Afghan side is known for improving with every match they play. Hence, there is no doubt that they may end up delivering an upset in the final match of the Asia Cup 2023 group stage on September 05, 2023.
Last evening could have actually gone either way. Indian openers were cramping in the initial deliveries. It could be the losing momentum from the match they played against Pakistan. Nevertheless, the betting sites for cricket continued to favor the Indian Cricket Team throughout the innings.
Rohit Sharma bagged the Player of the Match title for scoring 74 runs in 59 balls at the rate of 125.42. Shubham Gill, the batter responsible for igniting the powerful shots, gave all the necessary respect to his opening partner. Slowing the inning was one way to go, something he chose to implement without missing his 7th half-century. Both of them remained unbeaten for a partnership of 147 runs.
Nepal tumbled when Ravindra Jadeja came out to deliver his spinning spell. Siraj and Shami picked up crucial wickets, but only in the end. Jadeja had clinched 3 wickets till then, ending his inning with the economy of 3 runs per over.
Super Four matches of Asia Cup 2023 begin on September 06, 2023.
