Asia ODI Series 2023

Match 5- IND vs. NEP

Preview

India will square off against Nepal for the 5th match of the ongoing Aisa ODI Series 20233. The game is scheduled to be played at the Pallekale International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Monday, September 4. 

India’s last match against Pakistan was called off after the first innings due to rain. India winning the toss chose to bat first against their arch-rivals and was decent with their openers Rohit and Gill doing their job quite well. But after a small downpour, Pakistan used the time to come back and pick the wickets of Rohit, Kohli and Iyer on the roll. Gill was the next on the list as Rauf sent him off to put India in grave trouble. The lower middle-order pair of Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya stood up to their responsibilities and put the Men in Blue in the driving seat again. India fell off before the complete innings with 266 runs on the board. Later due to a heavy downpour, it was decided to not continue the match, hence ending it with no results and both sides sharing one point each.

Nepal also faced Pakistan in their previous encounter. The Men in Green won the toss and elected to bat first against a low-confidence Nepal side. Pakistan didn’t shy away from scoring runs anyway. Though they lost their openers easily, skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan sailed the ship to an extent. The baton was passed on to Iftikhar Ahmed who then scored another century after Babar Azam’s 151 to put off a total of 342 runs on the scoreboard. Nepal as we have expected lost frequent wickets against the strong Pakistan bowling attack. Pakistan registered a thumping 238 runs on the board after bowling out Nepal for a score of 104 runs. 

Match Details

Match: IND vs. NEP, 5th Match, Group A, Asia ODI Series 2023

Date: Monday, September 04, 2023

Time: 3:00 PM

Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

Pitch and Weather Conditions

The pitch at Pallekele Stadium assists spinners. Batters will face challenges on this surface. The outfield will also be slow due to rain, hence favouring the bowlers. The skipper winning the toss will choose to bat first as chasing on this ground is a bit difficult.

The weather is not ideal for a cricket match, as there is a 22% chance of rain. The temperature will be around 26°C with a humidity level of 83% and a wind speed of 16 kmph.

IND vs. NEP Squads

IND: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Prasidh Krishna, Tilak Varma

NEP: Aasif Sheikh (wk), Rohit Paudel (c), Kushal Bhurtel, 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

IND vs. NEP Probable Playing XIs

IND: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj

NEP: Rohit Paudel (c), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Aarif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi

Match Prediction

Nepal have good players but feels pressure against big teams. Their batters may somehow seem to be a threat but their bowlers aren’t much experienced. India’s strong batting order and a variety of pace and spin in the bowling attack will make them the favourites to win this match. 

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