Rain at Pallekele is likely to play spoilsport again during the India Vs Nepal Group A clash, on Monday
New Delhi: Rohit Sharma-led Team India is set to take on Rohit Paudel’s Nepal in the Asia Cup 2023 clash at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele, on Sunday. India’s last match against Pakistan got washed due to rain and now the IND vs NEP clash in Group A is likely to face the wrath of bad weather and heavy rain.
The India-Pakistan Group A match in the Asia Cup at the same venue was called off due to persistent rain on Saturday. Both India and Pakistan will take one point each from the washed-out fixture. As a result, Pakistan have qualified for the Super Four stage of the competition, making the India-Nepal match at the same venue on Monday a must-win for Rohit Sharma & Co to enter the next phase of the competition.
The weather prediction for the India vs Nepal clash will not make fans happy either. According to weather.com, there was a 70 percent chance of rain during the match on Monday. This can also force a washout. This will not be good news for Nepal fans as India will automatically qualify even if the match is called off.
Under challenging conditions, India were reduced to 66/4, before Kishan and Pandya stepped up in a pressure situation to stitch an important 138-run partnership.
While Kishan mixed sensibility with aggression, Pandya was calmness personified and upped the ante after the wicketkeeper-batter fell. For Pakistan, pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi (4-35), Naseem Shah (3-36) and Haris Rauf (3-58) were among the wicket-takers
The Indian cricket team will like to use the clash against Nepal to get in a better touch. They can even test their bench strength and give players like Tilak Varma an opportunity.
IND vs NEP Squads
India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Prasidh Krishna, Tilak Varma
Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh(w), Rohit Paudel(c), Aarif Sheikh, Sompal Kami, Gulsan Jha, Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi, Bhim Sharki, Kishore Mahato, Sundeep Jora, Pratis GC, Arjun Saud, Mousom Dhakal