India’s men’s cricket team has charged into the final of the Asian Games by defeating Bangladesh convincingly in the semifinal, securing a 9-wicket win with 64 balls remaining.
India achieved the target of 97 runs in just 9.2 overs. Ruturaj Gaikwad provided an early boost to the innings, compensating for the departure of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Tilak took advantage of Gaikwad’s dominant performance and went on to surpass him, scoring a rapid 55 off 26 balls. Gaikwad, the skipper, remained unbeaten with 40 runs, steering India to a comfortable victory.
India’s wise decision to field first paid off as Bangladesh struggled to establish themselves. Pervez Hossain Emon’s painstaking 23 was the highest individual score for Bangladesh, while most of the team members could only manage single-digit scores.
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Jaker Ali’s resilient unbeaten 24* and Rakibul Hasan’s brief cameo of 14 pushed Bangladesh to a modest total of 96/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
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The Indian spinners, led by Sai Kishore (3/12) and Washington Sundar (2/15), controlled the game. The disciplined bowling performance also featured contributions from Tilak Varma, Ravi Bishnoi, debutant Shahbaz Ahmed, and Arshdeep Singh, each securing a wicket.
In the gold medal match, India will compete against the winner of the second semifinal between Pakistan and Afghanistan, scheduled for Saturday.
Brief Score: Bangladesh 96/9 (Jaker Ali* 24, Parvez Hossain 23; Sai Kishore 3/12, Washington Sundar 2/15), India 97/1 (Tilak Verma* 55, Ruturaj Gaikawad* 40; Ripon Mondol 1/26) – India wins by 9 wickets.
