After nine group stage matches, often featuring lope-side encounters, men's cricket competition at the 2023 Asian Games is getting serious now. Starting Tuesday, Hangzhou will play host to some of the finest talents in world cricket as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka formally enter the competition. In the first big match, India, albeit a second-string side led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, will take on Nepal for a place in the semi-finals. (Match Blog | Scorecard | Full Coverage | Cricket News)
India, despite the absence of their star players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, etc. are still the overwhelming favourites. But against Nepal, Gaikwad & Co. will not take it lightly. Nepal have steamrolled both Mongolia and the Maldives to win their Group A encounters. Also, there is the added pressure of emulating their female counterparts. India women won the gold medal without a fuss.
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"Coming to the Asian Games, everyone is eager to win the gold for the country and stand up on the podium," Gaikwad said ahead of their Hangzhou Asian Games, men's cricket quarter-final match. "In cricket, we have the World Cup, the IPL (Indian Premier League) and domestic tournaments. We are used to that kind of environment and situations. But coming here and going to the village, we really got to know about the athletes — what kinds of struggle they go through."
For Nepal, this is the best chance to pull off a shock win and make some statement in world cricket which is busy focussing on the ICC ODI World Cup. The Rohit Paudel-led side evidently has the talents, and more importantly, the wherewithal to do just that. All they need is to play 40 overs of good, disciplined cricket.
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Winners of the India vs Nepal match will face either Bangladesh or Malaysia for a place in the gold medal match. The Bangladesh vs Malaysia quarter-final match is scheduled for Wednesday. Soon after the India vs Nepal clash, Pakistan will take on Hong Kong in their campaign opener. Here's how to watch,
India vs Nepal, T20I head-to-head record
This will be the first T20I meeting between India and Nepal. All matches of the 2023 Asian Games are accorded international status.
India vs Nepal, 2023 Asian Games, men's cricket match details and how to watch
When is the India vs Nepal, Asian Games 2023, men's cricket quarter-final match?
The India vs Nepal, Asian Games 2023, men's cricket quarter-final match will be played on October 3, 2023.
What time does the Asian Games 2023, India vs Nepal cricket match start?
The Asian Games 2023, India vs Nepal cricket match will start at 06:30 AM (IST)/09:00 AM local. The toss will take place half an hour earlier.
Where is the India vs Nepal, Asian Games 2023 cricket match being played?
The India vs Nepal, Asian Games 2023 cricket match is being played at the Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field in Hangzhou, China.
The ground has been a high-scoring one. Nepal, in their 273-run win against Mongolia, smashed the fastest century and fifty records besides registering the biggest win in terms of runs and a host of other feats in men's T20Is. In the nine matches played at the venue so far in the 2023 Asian Games men's cricket competition, five have been won by teams batting first. The average first innings score so far has been 165 runs with the highest target successfully chased being 128.
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How to watch India vs Nepal, 2023 Asian Games, men's cricket quarter-final match?
The 2023 Asian Games, men's cricket quarter-final match between India and Nepal can be live streamed on the Sony LIV app/website. The match will also be telecast on the Sony Sports Network.
Squads
India: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Prabhsimran Singh, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Deep
Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Binod Bhandari (wk), Sundeep Jora, Gulsan Jha, Rohit Paudel (c), Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sompal Kami, Abinash Bohara, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi, Pratis GC, Bibek Yadav.
