The Indian cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, advanced to the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2023 after defeating Nepal in a rain-affected Group A match on Monday. India achieved a 10-wicket victory (by DLS method) while chasing a target of 231, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill remaining unbeaten.
However, India faced some challenges during the match. After choosing to bowl first, the Indian fielders missed three catches early on before regaining their composure. Former Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri expressed his displeasure with India’s initial ‘body language’ in the match.
“In the beginning, their approach was off, with those dropped catches and a flat body language. It took those three dropped catches to wake them up. By that time, Nepal’s openers were in a good rhythm, but Jadeja came in and turned things around,” Ravi Shastri commented on Star Sports.
Ravi Shastri also commended Nepal’s batting performance against the strong Indian team. He mentioned how Nepal aggressively went after the Indian bowling, hitting those crucial sixes and quickly reaching the 50-run mark.
This confidence then extended to their middle and lower-order batsmen, as reflected in their performance in the last five overs of the match.
Shastri also highlighted the impressive turnout of Nepalese supporters at the match, noting that it was the first time the Indian crowd had been outnumbered. This showcased the growing enthusiasm and support for cricket in Nepal.
With that, Nepal has now suffered back-to-back defeats in the Asia Cup 2023 after initially losing the match against Pakistan by a massive margin of 238 runs. With the defeat against India, Nepal is now officially out of the Asia Cup 2023. However, they will look to take all the learnings and further improve their cricket.
