Asian Games T20 | India Qualify For Semis; Jaiswal, Rinku, and Ravi Bishnoi Shine Against Nepal
Jaiswal scored his maiden T20I hundred [Twitter]
India registered a comfortable 23-run victory over valiant Nepal in Quarter Final 1 of the ongoing Asian Games in China and booked a place in the semi-finals.
Ravi Bishnoi Magic Spins India to Victory
Chasing a mammoth 203, Nepal despite losing wickets, kept the scoreboard ticking, with openers going hard at Indian bowlers. Avesh Khan provided India the first breakthrough getting Aasif Sheikh for 10, and soon debutant Sai Kishore nabbed Kushal Bhurtel's key wicket for 28.
Centurian from Nepal's last match, Kushal Malla managed just 29 runs before getting out to Ravi Bishno, who also claimed skipper Rohit Paudel for 3.
Dipendra Singh Airee and Sundeep Lora consolidated the innings adding a 45-run stand for the fifth wicket. However, with the fall of Airee off Bishnoi, who claimed his third, Nepal kept on losing continuous wickets as the run rate crept up.
Arshdeep Singh got Jora out for 29 and picked his second wicket in the form of Gulshan Jha.
Khan wrapped up the tail, picking up wickets of Sompal Kami and Sandeep Lamichhane and completed a well-earned three-wicket haul.
Nepal managed just 179 runs, and handed a 23-run victory to India, who will play in the semi-final on October 6.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh Shine For India
Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad opted to bat first, after winning the toss and came out to bat alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Jaiswal took no time to settle down and started smashing the Nepal bowlers all over the park. The duo added 100 runs in just over nine overs, with Jaiswal doing the bulk of the scoring.
Gaikwad scored a slow 25 off 23 and got out to Airee, which witnessed India suffer a mini-collapse.
The track at Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou assisted spinners, was a dual-paced one and made hitting difficult for batters, which saw the likes of Tilak Varma and Jitesh Sharma struggle and get out for 2 and 6, respectively.
Undeterred, Jaiswal marched towards his maiden T20I hundred, which came in 48 balls and included eight fours and seven sixes.
Airee claimed Jaiswal's scalp for 100, which saw Rinku Singh's entry, who played a whirlwind cameo. Singh along with Shivam Dube added 52 runs, with the former scoring 37 off 15, laced with two fours and four sixes.
India closed their innings on 202 for 4, with Dube and Singh unbeaten on 25 and 37, respectively.
Brief Scores
India 202 - 4 (20 overs)
Yashasvi Jaiswal 100 (49), Rinku Singh 37 (15);
Dipendra Singh 2- 31 (4), Sandeep Lamichhane 1 -28 (3).
Nepal 179 - 9 (20 overs)
Dipendra Singh Airee 32 (15), Sundeep Jora 29 (12);
Ravi Bishnoi 3 -24 (4), Avesh Khan 3 -32 (4).
India won by 23 runs, and have qualified for semi-finals
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