India faced Nepal in the quarterfinals in a bid to qualify for the semis. The tournament will continue, with favorites progressing closer to the final lap. India have beaten Nepal by 23 runs to strengthen their position. Indian women’s cricket team has already bagged a gold in the T20 format of the game. Assuming everything goes seamlessly, the Indian men’s team will also bring home the gold.
Nepal had to chase down the target of 203 runs in 120 balls. It was a massive chase, but they fell short in the second inning. ICT winning the toss came in handy as the side went to register a 200+ run by batting first. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a century in 48 balls, becoming the youngest to put up a hundred runs in the shortest format of cricket. He is just 21 years and 13 days old. The feat comes as he overtakes Shuymab Gill’s record, which was set when he was 23 years and 146 days old.
Tilak Varma’s flop show at the strike rate of 20.0, followed by an early collapse of Jitesh Sharma for 5 runs, had put India on the backfoot. There were rumors in the air that India may drop to a lower score. Yashasvi kept the play going with Shivam Dube, with the latter running an unbeaten course of 25 runs in 19 balls at a 131.58 rate.
The 17th over marked the fall of the Indian opener. Rinku Singh entered clearly intending to finish the innings in his own style. If Jaiswal shot 7-6s, then Singh’s 4-6s helped Ruturaj Gaikwad’s men surpass the supporting score. Jitesh Sharma and Tilak Varma brought 9 runs, which could have been higher, considering Varma has a decent record in the game, and Sharma wants to represent the country in many international matches.
Nepal followed with a strong opening partnership; however, Avesh Khan struck the chord and sent Aasif Sheikh back to the dugout. All eyes were on Kushal Bhurtel, for he had a chance of taking forward his momentum. Kushal Malla came through, and the partnership went for the next 5 overs. The 33-run contribution was then broken with the fall of Bhurtel, leaving Nepal at 62 runs for the loss of 2 wickets.
It is worth praising that the chase was interesting in the first powerplay. Losing a single wicket at ZJUT Cricket Field often signals a positive start. India was ahead in that matter, therefore having a better chance per betting sites for cricket. Bishnoi’s spinning spell took Rohit Pundel aback. So was Singh Aree in the same over, only 1 single ball apart.
India is now closer to winning the title at the 19th Asian Games that China is hosting. India has so far bagged 62 medals, including 13 Gold medals. The men’s team is now on track to add to that record, and for good, fans are hoping.
