Follow UsOn paper, it is India versus Nepal.
It is the World No.1 side vs. World No.16.
It is quite lopsided. But the format is such that it is now a knock-out game that is facing the Indians. The nature of the format is such that one wrong step and you could be facing a billion eyeballs staring at you, startling.
However, cricket’s motive at the Asian Games isn’t as straightforward, at least when it comes to men’s cricket. Right now, the sport's ulterior motive is gaining global attention, and that only would come through the Olympics - the pinnacle of all sporting events.
Before this Asian Games, India had never set foot into the cricketing realms of the competition.
But with the gaining attention to the sport’s growing popularity and stature, there will be an Indian men’s team that follows a successful Indian women’s team, which won gold earlier in the competition. The road now is towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. In between that, there is also a possibility for a pitstop at the Commonwealth Games.
However, the focus is primarily on winning the Gold, a statement of sorts, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finally caving in.
Things to watch out for
Nepal’s rampage form
India can’t take Nepal lightly. Even at the senior level, Nepal showed India (in parts) that they could hurt them. However, the gulf between the two countries and the resources was such that Nepal couldn’t hurt India consistently, and they were burnt to Ashes over the clash. But here, the gulf might not be as much.
Nepal have sent their main team to the competition, spearheaded by Rohit Paudel and fueled by Kushal Malla, who remains insistent on breaking more records. Their 273-run win could be counted as not a surprise, but the way the country has gained attention, it would require India with a lot more effort than they would have anticipated in the first place.
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Thus far, Nepal have broken several records, with a first-ever 300 in T20I history, the fastest T20I century (34 balls), the fastest T20 fifty (9 balls), and several others. So, the gulf might not be as much.
India need to brush aside any rust (if any)
India’s preparation for the Asian Games couldn’t have gone more wrong. While they did play a strong Karnataka side at Alur ahead of the global event, they were turned over pretty easily. Their bowling didn’t click, and their batters, in the absence of skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was playing against Australia, faltered consistently and considerably under pressure.
Even though you would say this is not an audition for the national team, it is in some way or another to understand the calibre of certain players. For the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gaikwad, Washington, Arshdeep and Tilak, it is about reassuring the selectors.
While for the others, such as Avesh, Bishnoi, Dube, Tripathi, and Jitesh, it's about making a statement. A statement that bold that they might be looked at as real options before next year’s T20 World Cup, and not like they are footnotes of a research paper.
Tactical Pointers
- Notoriously, the tracks here in China have proven to be slow-turners once a few games have been played at the venue. If Nepal are going to be reliant on that, Shivam Dube’s power-hitting against spin might come as a thorn for them. Amongst batters in middle-overs (7-15), with a minimum of 100 runs, Dube has the third-best strike rate (174.5). Against leg spinners, in particular, that strike-rate goes up to 187.3, which isn’t good news for Nepal spinners.
- Kushal Malla is the in-form batter for Nepal, so India would be looking for a solution to fix that worry. India could turn towards Washington Sundar with the ball in that department. In T20Is, Malla has been dismissed twice by off-spinners, averaging just 9.5 while striking at 90.5. That’s the only bowling type against whom he has miserably struggled.
Probable XIs
Nepal ideally would want to include the duo of Lalit Rajbanshi and Karan KC, who will give them a lot of experience in the playing XI.
Nepal XI: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Rohit Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Binod Bhandari (wk), Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Abinash Bohara, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC/Sompal Kami
India have sent out a side that has several IPL veterans, ones who have played well season after season. But then assembling an XI out of that might be a little tough.
India’s Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi