In a thrilling match at the 19th Asian Games, India secured their spot in the semifinals with a 23-run victory over Nepal. The game was highlighted by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s remarkable 49-ball century and an impressive bowling performance by Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s brilliant century, scored in just 49 balls, was his first in T20 International cricket. At 21 years and 279 days, he became the youngest Indian to achieve this feat, surpassing the previous record held by Shubman Gill, who had accomplished a century at the age of 23 years and 146 days against New Zealand.
India won the toss and chose to bat, with Yashasvi delivering an exceptional performance during the powerplay. He aggressively took on the bowlers from the start and formed a century-opening partnership with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.
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However, Ruturaj struggled a bit, scoring 25 runs from 23 balls before getting dismissed. It was Jaiswal’s outstanding performance that set the stage for India’s innings.
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Tilak Varma and Jitesh Sharma were dismissed quickly. Later, Rinku and Shivam Dube established a 52-run partnership, with Rinku contributing an unbeaten 37 runs off 15 balls. This propelled India to a total of over 200 runs.
In response, Nepal’s openers had a steady start but failed to make a significant impact during the powerplay. Although Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Sundeep Jora made useful contributions, it became clear that their efforts wouldn’t be enough.
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Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi took three wickets each, while Sai Kishore had a successful debut, taking a wicket and three catches. India restricted Nepal to 179-9 in their 20 overs, securing a 23-run victory.
In the semifinals, India will face the winner of the Bangladesh-Malaysia quarter-final match, scheduled for Friday.
