ACC Emerging Asia Cup 2023, IND-A vs NEP | Preview, Pitch Report, Probable XIs, Fantasy Tips & Prediction

Yash Dhull to lead India A (Twitter)

India A and Nepal will collide in match number eight of the ongoing ACC Men's Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023 competition in Sri Lanka. The upcoming fixture marks the fourth Group B battle and the second outing for both sides in this tournament.

Team Preview

India A

India A registered an emphatic eight-win over the UAE A in their first match of the tournament. After bowlers Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy helped restrict the UAE A to just 175 in their 50 overs, Team India batters overhauled their task with more than 24 overs still in hand. The margin of victory propelled them to the top of the Group B points table.

Moreover, India A is also currently on a four-game winning streak. Late last year, they defeated a visiting New Zealand A side by a 3-0 margin in three 50-over matches. Led by Yash Dhull, the 'Boys in Blue' will be hoping to carry on their winning momentum to strengthen their grip in the ongoing competition further.

Nepal

Nepal's Kushal Malla in action in World Cup Qualifiers (Twitter)

Nepal, the only full-strength international team in this tournament, lost their opening game to Pakistan A by four wickets. The Rohit Paudel-led side recently participated in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifier in Zimbabwe, where they finished eighth and failed to qualify for the main event in India later this year.

As per their form guide, they have sustained four defeats in their last five outings, with their only victory coming against a struggling UAE side at the qualifiers. In a bid to qualify in the semi-finals of this competition, the Nepal team needs to spring some major upsets going ahead.

Match Details

Date and Time: July 17, 2:00 PM IST
Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Live Streaming and Broadcast: FanCode (No live telecast)

Pitch Report

The iconic R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo usually provides much assistance for spinners, with something on offer for batters upon settling in. Across over 150 ODIs hosted by the venue, the average first innings total has been 231. Considering the overall track record here, the captain winning the toss will likely choose to bat first.

Probable Playing XIs

India A: Sai Sudharsan, Nikin Jose, Abhishek Sharma, Yash Dhull (c), Riyan Parag, Nishant Sindhu, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Manav Suthar, Harshit Rana, Akash Singh, Nitish Reddy

Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Arjun Saud, Rohit Paudel (c), Bhim Sharki, Kushal Malla, Pawan Sarraf, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Lalit Rajbanshi

Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips

Wicketkeeper: Aasif Sheikh, Dhruv Jurel
Batters: Yash Dhull, Riyan Parag, Sai Sudharsan
All-Rounders: Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Gulsan Jha, Kushal Malla
Bowlers: Lalit Rajbanshi, Harshit Rana

Captain: Yash Dhull
Vice-Captain: Riyan Parag

Prediction

India A will be considered as favourites to overcome their Nepal challenge.

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