Former India opener Virender Sehwag called for more players of aggressive mindset in the Indian team after Nepal gave the Men in Blue a run for their money in the quarter-final of the men’s cricket event in the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

India and Nepal clashed on October 3, 2023, in the knockout clash. India was captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad for the first time and had a few debutants as well Jitesh Sharma and R Sai Kishore. India batted first after winning the toss.

Yashasvi Jaiswal thumped 100 in 49 balls with 8 fours and 7 sixes. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube made 25 runs each, though Dube remained unbeaten. Nepal pulled things back in the middle overs and it looked like India wouldn’t cross the 200-run mark.

But Rinku Singh slammed 37* in 15 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes, scoring 23 runs in the last over which leaked 25 runs. This enabled India to finish at 202/4 in 20 overs.

In reply, Nepal gave India a run for their money scoring 179/9, and lost by only 23 runs. Dipendra Singh Airee (32), Kusal Malla, and Sundeep Jora with 29 runs each were the main scorers for Nepal. With this win, India progressed to the semi-final of the Asian Games men’s cricket event.   

WATCH - Rinku Singh’s fiery 15-ball unbeaten 37 in India’s win over Nepal at the Asian Games

Reacting to this, Virender Sehwag urged India to groom more explosive batters like Rinku and Suryakumar Yadav for the T20 game. He said that the side already had too many batters who played in the same anchor role.

"I just feel we have too many batters who play in the same gear. Need to nurture more explosive players who can play top gear, especially in T20 cricket. Many more in the Rinku and SKY mode needed to become a dangerous side," he posted on X.

India will play their semifinal tie on October 6.