Rain played spoilsport in India’s Asia Cup group clash again on September 4. After a few interruptions, the long delay came when India were batting. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill had to walk off the field after heavy rain at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on September 4.
The whole ground was covered for more than an hour. After the covers were taken off the ground, on-field umpires Paul Wilson and Ruchira Palliyaguruge revealed to the broadcasters that the cutoff time for a 20-over game is 10:20 PM IST.
As the rain did not play spoilsport, the target from 20 overs is 145, as per the Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) method. When a heavy downpour interrupted play, India were 17/0 from 2.1 overs. Skipper Rohit Sharma had just hit a boundary off Karan KC. Before hitting Karan for a boundary, Rohit had struggled to cope with the swing in the first over. Nepal even opted for a review but Rohit survived as the ball was missing the leg stump.
On the other hand, Shubman Gill was batting for 12 off six deliveries after hitting Sompal Kami for three boundaries in the second over. If the play resumes before the cutoff time, India will need 128 more runs to win from 20.5 overs.
Earlier, Nepal posted a total of 230 on the board as they got bowled out with 10 balls left in the innings. Indian fielders were sloppy at the start which gave Nepal openers a good start. After Kushal Bhurtel's 25-ball 38, Aasif Sheikh played the anchor role despite wickets falling. Sheikh scored 58 runs from 97 balls. Contributions from lower order including Sompal Kami's 48-run knock helped Nepal cross the 200-run mark. Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja were the pick of the bowlers with three wickets each to their name.
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