In their second and final group stage match against Nepal at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, India comfortably defeated Nepal by 10 wickets through the DLS method in a rain-affected game. Skipper Rohit Sharma, winning the toss, opted to field first. India’s fielders initially struggled, dropping catches, giving Nepal an advantage as they formed an opening partnership of 65 runs.
The breakthrough came when Shardul Thakur dismissed Kushal Bhurtel. Nepal’s batting lineup continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, with Aasif Sheikh being the lone batter to reach fifty, contributing 58 runs with 8 boundaries. Later in the order, Dipendra Singh (29) and Sompal Kami (48) played explosive innings, helping Nepal post a respectable total of 230.
India’s chase began impressively. However, early in the second over, rain briefly interrupted the game. After the rain stopped, the DLS method was applied, revising India’s target to 145 runs in 23 overs, following a nearly 2-hour delay due to rain during India’s initial run chase of 231.
Skipper Rohit Sharma and his young opening partner Shubman Gill both scored impressive half-centuries, accumulating 74 and 67 runs, respectively. Their partnership marked their third-century stand in ODIs, guiding India to victory without any hiccups. India successfully chased down the revised target of 145 runs in 20 overs, securing a spot in the super fours alongside Pakistan from Group A.
India and Pakistan are set to face each other once again on 10th September in Colombo.
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