Nepal shows resilience setting a challenging target of 231

The decision of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma didn’t go as planned, as the sloppy fielding of the team helped Nepal to put a challenging total of 231 on the board. India dropped three catches inside the first five overs, with Iyer and Ishan dropping Kushal Bhurtel and Kohli dropping a sitter of Aasif Sheikh.

Both the Nepalese openers made the most out of the chances they were given by adding 65 runs for the first wicket. It was once again Shardul who got the breakthrough out of nowhere, giving India their first wicket in the form of Bhurtel, who scored 38 runs before getting dismissed.

Aasif Sheikh also went on to play a crucial innings of 58 runs and was also the highest scorer for his team, followed by all-rounder Sompal Kami who missed his half-century by just two runs and scored a fiery 48.

India tried to script a comeback with the help of Ravindra Jadeja, who got three wickets in the middle overs to keep the Nepalese players somewhat in check. However, Nepal still held on with everything they had with the help of some gutsy cameos by Gulshan Jha (23), Dipendra Singh (29) and Sompal Kami (48).

Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj were the best bowlers for India, with bowling figures of 3 for 40 and 3 for 61, respectively. Shami, Hardik and Shardul took one wicket each. India will now have to chase down the total to qualify for the Super 4. The low scores often end up becoming a tricky chase, and the men in blue will be trying their level best to avoid any upset to take place.

Indian batsmen also have to be careful about the D/L totals, as they can very well end up playing a deciding role in the match.

Brief scorecard:
Nepal 230/10 (48.2 overs)

Batting:
Aasif Sheikh 58 (97)
Sompal Kami 48 (56)

Bowling:
Ravindra Jadeja 3/40 (10)
Mohammed Siraj 3/61 (9.2)

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