‘Young bloods are ruling’ – Fans react as India beat Nepal to qualify for semi-finals of Asian Games 2023

The Indian men’s cricket team qualified for the semi-finals of the 2023 Asian Games after beating Nepal by 23 runs in Hangzhou on Tuesday, October 3. Earlier, the Indian women’s cricket team scripted history in China by winning the gold medal and now their men have a chance to make their country proud. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Co. have got a strong start and will now aim to continue their dominance.

Elected to bat first, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal gave India a solid start with his powerful striking. A target of 250 looked possible when the southpaw went berserk in the powerplay, but India lost momentum as the Nepal spinners came into play. However, the Men in Blue went into the second innings confident with a good total on a tough track to bat on. Jaiswal and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad put up a 100-plus stand, but the former carried the brunt of the scoring.

Gaikwad (25 runs off 23 balls) struggled to get going and eventually was dismissed by Dipendra Singh in the 10th over. India lost a couple of wickets more in the middle phase as Tilak Varma and Jithesh Sharma failed to find any resistance. Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh made the finishing touch but it was Jaiswal’s innings that helped India post a total of 202-4. The young lad notched up a fantastic century in the process – his first in T20I cricket.

Nepal put up a solid fight chasing 203

Chasing a highly competitive score, Nepal openers gave them a steady start but failed to capitalise on the powerplay. India pacer Avesh Khan drew first blood by removing Aasif Sheikh in the fourth over. Kushal Bhurtel and fastest centurion Kushal Malla tried to form a partnership but Sai Kishore provided a breakthrough by dismissing the former in the 9th over.

Malla (29 off 22), Dipendra Singh Airee (32 off 15) and Sundeep Jora (29 off 12) chipped in with handy cameos, but the target was well beyond their reach. Avesh and spinner Ravi Bishnoi picked three wickets each, while Sai Kishore had a decent debut, grabbing a wicket and also taking three catches. Nepal batters put up a strong fight and proved that they have a bright future in the coming years.

Here’s how fans reacted to India qualifying for the semi-finals of 2023 Asian Games: