Asia Cup 2023 | IND vs NEP, Match 5 - Cricket Fantasy Teams After Toss

Aashay Chopade

image-lm3nycdqNepal will play first time against India (AP Photos)

It's time for the final encounter of the league stage in Group A as India take on Nepal at Pallekele. India's first game was washed out due to rain against Pakistan and they would be itching to deliver a complete performance against Nepal who will be playing first time against India. The young Nepal team was demolished by Pakistan in the opening game of Asia Cup and this is another opportunity for them to impress on the big stage against a top international side. 

On paper, it seems like a one-sided contest but one has to be very careful while creating fantasy teams in such games, as one wrong player can be pretty harmful. Almost everyone will take as many players as possible from India but selecting right players is crucial depending on who is batting first or bowling first, so toss becomes very important.

So, let's see what could be the fantasy teams in different toss result scenarios for this match number 5 of Asia Cup 2023 between India and Nepal.


Scenario 1 - If India Bats First

If India bats first, it is important to take India's top 4 batters in your fantasy team as there is big chance of at least two of them scoring big. Important thing to note is that Jasprit Bumrah is not available for this game. Also, all five premier bowing options for India should be included in the fantasy team and it would not be a bad idea to select 9 Indian players and two Nepal players. Rohit Sharma is a good captaincy candidate with Siraj as vice-captain or Shami and

Wicketkeeper
Aasif Sheikh
BattersRohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer
All-rounderRavindra Jadeja
Bowlers
Karan KC, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur

Captain - Rohit Sharma
Vice-Captain - Mohammed Siraj

Scenario 2 -  If India Bowls First

If India does bowl first, Shreyas Iyer can be avoided and one can go with Hardik Pandya as he might bowl some overs if needed. Also, one extra Nepal player like Dipendra Singh Airee can also be included as he can contribute with both bat and ball. Rest of the team can be same and someone like Shami can be the captain with Kuldeep Yadav as vice-captain.

WicketkeeperAasif Sheikh
BattersRohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill
All-roundersRavindra Jadeja, Dipendra Singh Airee
BowlersKaran KC, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur

Captain - Mohammed Shami
Vice-Captain - Kuldeep Yadav

Note - Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya have not been included in both the teams as they are unlikely to get enough balls to bat. Ravindra Jadeja could be more used as fifth bowler and Hardik might get less overs to bowl.