India vs Nepal Highlights, Asia Cup 2023: Rohit-Gill Power India To Victory By 10 Wickets

India beat Nepal by 10 wickets and qualify for the Super Four. 

After Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill also brings up his fifty. Karan KC brought back into the attack by Nepal. Last throttle from them probably. India need 23 off 40 balls.

As Rohit Sharma crosses his half century, India also breach the 100-run mark in the chase. Things are now under control in the chase. India need 44 runs from 54 balls.

India are now rocketing through towards the target. Both Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma have played their shots incredibly well after early struggle. IND need 55 off 64 balls.

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are off to a good start post rain break. 

The over from Karan KC has finally ended. Just 6 runs off the over including a boundary. Lalit Rajbanshi introduced into the attack. 

As per the official update, India will resume at 17/0 (2.1) to chase 145 in 23 overs.

UPDATE - Play to resume at 10.15 PM #AsiaCup2023, — BCCI (@BCCI) September 4, 2023

The umpires have cleared the situation - For a 20-over game, match must start on or before 10:20 PM IST considering there is no rain. If the match starts, India will have to chase 130 in 20 overs as per DLS.

It is looking completely grim at the moment here at Pallekele. What happens if the match gets washed out - Nepal will be knocked out of the tournament. India will go through with 2 points.

A long delay is anticipated here at Pallekele as the entire ground has been covered as of now. The pelting has been reduced to a steady drizzle. 

ICYMI - Commentator Gautam Gambhir allegedly flicked his middle finger in front of the crowd who were chanting 'Kohli-Kohli'.

Check out the video here:

It is no secret now that it will be a truncated encounter with overs being lost for sure. DLS calculations will come into play. Stay tuned for all the updates!

It has started to rain here again at the stadium. Umpires have called in for covers. This is getting frustrating to be honest. 

What an over from Karan KC from Nepal. Amid some drizzling, he has made the ball talk. Indian captain Rohit Sharma was clueless. Sompal to bowl from the other end.

Hello and welcome to the 2nd innings of the India vs Nepal match of the Asia Cup 2023 here at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are in the middle for the chase. 

Nepal have set India a target of 231 runs as bowlers did quite a job i the middle over and towards the end to keep things with in the limit, considering the start batting side got early in the day. Nepal openers, after getting multiple chances due to drop catches, made it count and added 65 runs in first 10 overs. Ravindra Jadeja led the charge with the ball and picked up crucial wickets in the middle overs with a promising support from other bowlers as well. Nepal have posted a challenging score on the board and will need a miraculous effort with the ball to keep Rohit Sharma's side away from the target. 

Wicket! It was just a matter of time as Siraj wrapped things up with the last wicket. Nepal are all-our for 230 in 48.2 overs. Rajbanshi is beaten for pace as the ball is passed him before the bat could come down. 

Wicket! Miscommunication and Lamichhane is run out. Karan responds first but then aborts by which time Lamichhane was more than halfway down the wicket, Axar throws the ball to Ishan Kishan and he does the rest.

Wicket! Gone! Just when it looked Sompal was set to give his team a perfect finish, Shami managed to take his first wicket of the match. A handy innings of 48 runs comes to an end as Nepal lose their eighth wicket.

Sompal Kami is playing a magnificent innings here as he closes in on his half-century. A six to finish Siraj's ninth over. 11 runs came off that one as Nepal add a few more to their total. 

Wicket! Pandya also opens his account with the ball as he traps Dipendra in front and removes him for 29. Nepal lose their seventh wicket. 

Jadeja was quick to finish his quota of 10 overs as he put up a brilliant effort with 3/40 in his 10 overs. Five runs came off his last over.

The match will resume at 18:45 (6:45) PM IST.

Rain has stopped, and covers have been fully removed as we wait for the inspection that has been scheduled to take place in a few minutes form now at 6:30 PM IST. 

The rains seems to be getting heavier and almost the whole ground is under covers now. Players are waiting for the match for action to resume as it looks like a long break.

The rain has got heavier this time as it looks like it will be a long delay this time. The pitch along with square has been covered. Just when it looked the batters are building a partnership as the recovery of early wickets, rain interrupted the play to frustrate both players and the spectators. Stay tuned for latest updates.

These two are trying their best to build a partnership here. After a promising start, Nepal are in a bothering situation with six wickets down under the score of 200. They will be aiming to make the most of this partnership with Dipendra leading the charge at the moment.

Wicket! Ishan Kishan makes no mistake as Siraj gets another wicket. Gulsan Jha stays leg-side of the ball to drive this cross-seam ball and only manages to get an outside edge.

Wicket! Aasif's brilliant innings comes to an end. More relief than joy for Siraj. Kohli too seems to be relieved, having already dropped a sitter in the second over of the game.

Wicket! Jadeja is on fire today as he is getting wickets for fun. Another simple catch to the fielder as Siraj makes no mistake. The spinner gets his third wicket of the match. Malla goes for 2 as Nepal lose fourth wicket.

Wicket! Jadeja gets his second wicket of the match as he continues to be wicket-to-wicket and effective. Nepal skipper departs for 5 runs. Third wicket goes down for the batting side.

Umpire Paul Wilson has made two wrong decisions so far. Aasif survives after taking the review as the ball went on to miss the off stump. Sheikh failed to pick the wrong 'un and went for the sweep, missed it, and is struck on off-stump. But since it was the googly the ball was turning away and hence not hitting the stumps

That is gone!! That was not that short a ball from Jadeja and Bhim Sharki tried to cut it and paid the price. Inside edge back onto the stumps. Nepal 77/2 (16)

Shardul Thakur has been effective with his mixture of line and lengths in this match. Four runs off the last over. Jadeja brought back into the attack.

India have crawled their way back into the game from last couple of overs. Ravindra Jadeja brought into the attack. Aasif Sheikh and Sharki are in the middle for Nepal.

Apart from some atrocius fielding from India, one has to applaud Nepal batters. OUT!!! This ia much needed breakthrough for India as Shardul strikes in his first over. 

Appeal For LBW!!! Umpire gives it OUT and Nepal has taken a review. It suggests that it is missing the stumps. Bhurtel survives! What a start this has been for Nepal!

This has been a fiery start from Nepal. Bhurtel attack Siraj as he hits him for a four and a six. The pace bowler, however, looked fired up and finishes up well with three dot deliveries. 10 runs came off that over.

Siraj did well after being smashed for a boundary on the first ball. He finishes with three consecutive dot balls. Six runs came off it. 

Mohammed Shami finally gets to bowl after returning to the side from the break as he starts off with a 4-run over.

It had started to drizzle during the toss, adding to the concerns over weather situation a the venue. However, covers are being taken off now! We could have an on time start.

Both teams have made one change each as India include Mohammed Shami for Jasprit Bumrah while Nepal bring Bhim Sharki to replace Aarif Sheikh.

"We were looking to bowl as well due to the overhead conditions. Today is the biggest day for Nepal cricket. Great opportunity for us. One change, in place of Aarif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki comes in."

"We are gonna bowl first. No particular reason. We batted in the last game. 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. One change. Bumrah is not available, we've got Shami in place for him."

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh(w), Rohit Paudel(c), Bhim Sharki, Sompal Kami, Gulsan Jha, Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi

Rohit Sharma once again won the toss but decided to bowl first this time as India gear up for the virtual knockout clash against Nepal

"The same pitch India played Pakistan. The wicket looks really flat. Around a good length, it falls away a little bit and then rises up, that's why the pacers are getting variable bounce. The spinners will have something to say. It's nice and dry. Bowlers like Kuldeep who throw it up will get bounce and extract some turn as well."

In Group A, Pakistan have already made it to Super Fours while India and Nepal will face off to decide the second team. The winner of the match will head straight to the next round while the loser will witness an end to their journey in the tournament.

There’s yet another threat looming over India's match as there is a high possibility of rain. The weather report has raised concerns, leaving fans and players anxiously keeping an eye on the skies.

There is an 89 percent chance of rain in the morning and a 68 percent chance of rain in the evening in Pallekele on Monday, according to the meteorological department and multiple weather forecast websites.

Check live and latest updates on Pallekele weather here.

“Gyanendra Malla has played a pivotal role in shaping this team, he was part of the whole setup during the qualifiers. He played his part and now Rohit Paudel has taken up that role as a young captain, I think his record so far has been amazing and he has been supported well by his teammates. And we have a fantastic coach in Monty Desai. Overall, I believe the setup of the current team is looking very good, we just need to evolve this into a better unit and strive for consistency. This can really help the team go to the next level.”

Nepal were off to a great start on their debut in the continental championship as they put Pakistan in a challenging situation at 124/4 before they let them stitch a massive partnership. 

In an important match against India, they will have to focus on the middle overs situation with the ball against the strong Indian batting lineup.

Th batting also was a concern in the first match for Nepal as they aim to improve things with the bat against the Men in Blue. 

Virat Kohli has a total of 34 runs from four innings at Pallekele with a best of 23. He was dismissed by Shaheen Afridi for four runs in the last match at the venue. The match, however, was called off due to persistent rain. 

"Learning from the [Pakistan] game would be that we need to improve bowling in death overs, and as a group, we need to step up with the bat." 

Nepal lost by 238 runs against Pakistan in their last match.

India's last match was against Pakistan and was called off due to persistent rain in Pallekele. 

Pakistan stand at the top of the Group A standings with three points to their name in two matches, having already qualified for the Super Four stage. India are placed second with one point which they earned from their first match against Pakistan which was called off due to rain while Nepal are in the third position with no points, having lost their first game. 

The India vs Nepal is almost a virtual knockout game as the loser of the match will have their journey end in the tournament while the winner will straight join Pakistan in the Super Fours.

India will be missing the service of Jasprit Bumrah who returned home to be with his family during the birth of his first child. The pace bowler along with his wife has welcomed a baby boy as he made an announcement regarding that on social media.

Both teams have never played against each other in the 50-over format of cricket. The upcoming encounter will mark the first-ever international game between India and Nepal.

Hello and welcome to the live blog of the fifth match of the Asia Cup 2023 between India and Nepal from  
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Stay tuned for all the live and latest updates.