Asia Cup 2023, IND vs NEP: India Opt to Bowl as Rain Threatens to Disrupt Proceedings

Pallekele: The Indian team is set to face Nepal in the 5th match of the Asia Cup after their opening match against Pakistan was washed out. If the weather doesn’t cooperate once again, India, led by Rohit Sharma, will advance to the Super Four.

The weather forecast for Monday’s fixture doesn’t look promising, with a 65% chance of rain predicted for the afternoon. According to AccuWeather, rain is expected until 5 PM, which could result in another stop-start match, similar to the one against Pakistan.

India enter this match with one point, while Nepal will need a historic upset to progress to the next round. India’s top order needs improvement after a poor show against Pakistan. Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya played crucial roles, but the transition to the tail-enders was problematic.

In team news, Jasprit Bumrah has returned to India to be with his expecting wife, so Mohammed Shami will likely play against Nepal. On the other hand, Nepal will be looking to recover from their tough match against Pakistan and pose a challenge to India.

The pitch at Pallekele is expected to offer advantages to both bowlers and batters. Bowlers will enjoy early advantages with the new ball, while batters may find it easier as the game progresses. Dew may come into play in the latter half of the game, giving the team batting second a slight edge.

This match between India and Nepal is their first-ever encounter in ODIs, so there are no previous head-to-head records available.

Playing XIs:

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh(w), Rohit Paudel(c), Bhim Sharki, Sompal Kami, Gulsan Jha, Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi