India and Nepal will battle for the final spot the the Super Fours from Group A as the two teams take the field in Pallekele on Monday, September 4. Nepal were thrashed by 238 runs in the first match of the Asia Cup 2023 against Pakistan, while India had set a competitive target of 266 runs for the arch-rivals before rain played spoilsport for the side.
With Pakistan already through and a match no different than a knock-out expected, India have chosen one forced change to the side, with Mohammed Shami being drafted into the Playing XI in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who has flown back to Mumbai for the birth of his first child with TV presenter and wife Sanjana Ganesan.
Meanwhile, India won the toss and chose to bowl first.
India's Playing XI
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Nepal's Playing XI
Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Rohit Paudel (c), Bhim Sharki, Sompal Kami, Gulsan Jha, Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan Chhetri, Lalit Rajbanshi
What did the skipper's say?
Indin skipper Rohit Sharma spoke about his decision to bowl first, “We want to see what the bowlers have in offer for us. I don't know about the weather. We just want to have the bowlers to have a game under the belt. The way we batted under pressure, Hardik and Ishan batted brilliantly. Ishan showed a lot of maturity and took the game on as well. Good signs for us. It's another important game for us,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nepal skipper Rohit Paudel revealed the excitement about playing against a team like India. “We were looking to bowl as well due to the overhead conditions. Today is the biggest day for Nepal cricket,” he said.
Rain could play spoilsport
The weather forecast for the IND vs NEP clash on Monday isn't particularly promising. With a likelihood of rain throughout the day and cloudy playing conditions, the DLS Method may come into play. If the match is washed out, India will automatically qualify for the Super 4s.
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