In the second and decisive match of the group stage of the 16th edition of the Asia Cup Cricket 2023, which started in Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Wednesday, the Nepal national men's cricket team is facing the much stronger side India.
Nepal, who did not start the tournament as expected after suffering a massive 238-run defeat against the host Pakistan in their first match on Wednesday, is set to face the 7-times Asia Cup winner India at 3:15 PM Nepali time on Monday.
Nepal vs India Match Preview
If we talk about the ICC ODI rankings, India is ranked third, while Nepal, which is ranked 15th, is the lowest ranked team to play in the Asia Cup 2023.
This is the biggest regional tournament in the history of Nepalese cricket as this is the first time they have been featuring in the Asia Cup Cricket 2023. On top of that, Nepal is competing in a group consisting of the two powerhouses of world cricket, the two main claimant teams of the Asia Cup Cricket this time, India and Pakistan.
India, who won the title twice in a row in 2016 and 2018 last time, will have world-class players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jaspreet Bumrah, Ishan Kisan, Shreyas Ayer on Monday against Nepal.
India looking forward to field up their first 11
Due to the rain on Saturday, the match against Pakistan was tied, but India, who collected only 1 point. India are now under pressure to win against Nepal on Monday to make it to the Super 4. As only the top two teams of the group will advance to the next stage, the winner of the match between Nepal and India will enter the Super 4. Therefore, like Pakistan, there is a strong possibility that India will field its first choice team against Nepal on Monday.
India's strong & weak point:
Strong side: India's strongest point is their batting. Currently,their rising opener Shubman Gill is third and most reliable and former captain Virat Kohli is in ninth place in the ODI batting rankings. On the other hand, Jasprit Bhumrah, Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Siraj, Shradul Thakur will handle the fast bowling while Kuldeep Yadab and Rabindra Jadeja will do the spin attack.
If the opening pair of Rohit and Subhman Gill can be sent back to pavilion in the first power play, Virat will be the main threat who will form a partnership with Shreyas Ayer and Ishan Kisan. Therefore, it will be beneficial for Nepal as much as possible to keep these players under pressure.
India's record against the Associate nations
Player to watch from Nepal: Sandeep Lamicchane
Nepalese young leg spinner Sandeep Lamicchane, who has also gained the experience of playing IPL for two seasons with Delhi Capitals, will be very crucial in the match against India on Monday. Sandeep has already took the wickets of Indian players like KL Rahul, Parthiv Patel, Krunal Pandya, Surya Kumar Yadav in IPL as well.
Sandeep took 13 wickets ( in 9 IPL innings) with a strike rate of 16.5 & average 22.46. He delivered 210 balls ( with 0 Maiden over) and took 3 wickets 2 times & 2 wickets 1 time.
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Nepal vs India Head to Head
Before, Nepal played India's A team under the ACC Emerging Team Asia Cup held in Sri Lanka last July. This for the first time, Nepal got the opportunity to play India's senior team in the Asia Cup. It's a matter of pride for Nepal to share the same field with two world giants like India and Pakistan on a big stage like the Asia Cup.
How to watch Nepal vs India Asia Cup 2023 Live ?
Nepal and India will face each other in Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Kendy, Sri Lanka on Wednesday. The live broadcast of the match will start at 3:15 pm according to Nepali time, and here you can easily watch it on Star Sports on television. The match can been even be watched through Disney+ hotstar for free in India.
Nepal vs India Asia Cup Monday weather
Fans may see a soggy outfield on Monday morning as the current Palleke weather (on Sunday) predicts an over 72% chance of rain. The likelihood of rain, however, is 22% at the time of the toss (2:30 PM IST) and will stay the same till 6 PM. In the second half of the game, there is a 66% probability of rain, which could mean another half-game for India. The Rohit Sharma-led team will automatically qualify for the Super 4 round with two points from the Group A games, though, if rain cancels India's next match against Nepal.
India Squad for Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (Ruled out due to injury)
Nepal Squad for Asia Cup 2023: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Bhim Sharki, Rohit Paudel (c), Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sundeep Jora, Pratis GC, Arjun Saud, Mousom Dhakal, Kishore Mahato, Aarif Sheikh