Tambaram: India advanced to the semi-final of men’s cricket in the Asian Games 2023 after beating Nepal by 23 runs in the quarter-finals at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou.
After being put in to bat first, India scored 202 for the loss of four wickets. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad laid the platform with a partnership of 103 runs for the opening wicket off 9.5 overs. Gaikwad struggled as he scored 25 runs off 23 balls before Dipendra Singh Airee accounted for his wicket. However, Jaiswal went on to score his maiden T20I hundred off 48 balls.
It was because of Jaiswal’s knock that India were able to go past the 200-run mark. Tilak Varma and Jitesh Sharma got out in single digits before Rinku Singh played a 37-run cameo of 15 balls with the help of two fours and four sixes. Shivam Dube also used the long handle to good effect, scoring 25 runs off 19 balls with two fours and a six.
Dipendra was the pick of the Nepal bowlers with two wickets. Sandeep Lamichhane and Sompal Kami picked up one wicket apiece.
