Team India on Monday (September 4) qualified for the Super-4 stage of Asia Cup 2023 with a comprehensive 10-wicket victory over Nepal in Pallekele.
Opting to bowl first, India bundled out Nepal for 230 in 48.2 overs. Ravindra Jadeja (3-40) and Mohammed Siraj (3-61) were the pick of the bowlers, claiming three wickets each.
In the rain-affected fixture, the Men in Blue were set a target of 145 runs in 23 overs, which Rohit Sharma (74* off 59) and Shubman Gill (67* off 62) chased down in 20.1 overs.
After the game, India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour acknowledged that the team could have displayed more discipline in their bowling and fielding effort.
Notably, India dropped three catches in the first five overs of the match. Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, and Ishan Kishan made a mess of easy chances during the powerplay.
Nepal openers made the most of dropped chances and batted aggressively in the first 10 overs. The duo of Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh took on the Indian fast bowlers and added 65 runs for the first wicket.
"The wicket today was good, better than the last one during Pakistan. We could have been more disciplined. The three dropped catches helped them. They batted well...Glad nothing major happened (because of the dropped catches). It was good to see how we responded to it (the target)," said Rathour in the post-match press conference.
India will next face Pakistan in their first Super-4 match on September 10. Rathour said the team will try to do better in the upcoming clash against the arch-rivals.
"We will try to play better and start better. Situations, conditions and bowling are different sometimes. Wickets do fall, but we recovered well to make 260 (in the rain-abandoned group match against Pakistan)," the batting coach stated.
While the India versus Pakistan encounter in the group stage ended in a no-result due to incessant rain in the second innings, the Pakistani pacers impressed one and all with their stunning exploits.
Shaheen Afridi (4/35), Haris Rauf (3/58) and Naseem Shah (3/36) shared all 10 wickets among them to bundle out India for 266 in 48.5 overs.
Rathour dismissed the claims that Indian batters struggle against Pakistan’s formidable pace trio.
"Pakistan has a good bowling attack. The new ball was doing well and the wicket offered help (in the group match). The rain broke the rhythm. All factors were there. It is not like we can't play them. Our batters are also capable of playing (well) and getting a big start," he stated.
Commenting on the selection dilemma between wicketkeeper batters Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul for the upcoming match, Rathour said: "Ishan played really well. He has been doing really good. But KL has also done well for two years. It is a good problem to have. Team management will take the final decision."
"We have 15 players in the squad to test different combinations against different teams in different conditions. Shardul (Thakur) gives us batting depth...If we want to go all out with our fast bowlers, we have that as an option. We have the option to play one more spinner as well as we have Akshar Patel. It is good to have these options," he concluded.
(With agency inputs)
