By a Staff Reporter
Nepal Cricket Team have been eliminated from the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD) men’s cricket. Nepal, chasing a target of 203 runs could only manage to score 179 runs at the expense of nine wickets in 20 overs, losing by 23 runs.

Dipendra Singh Airee scored the highest for Nepal with 32 runs in 15 runs with four sixes. Sandeep Jora scored 29 runs in 12 balls in an innings comprising of one four and three sixes.
Dipendra and Sandeep Jora had a 48-run stand for fifth wicket in 20 deliveries. Nepal had put pressure on an IPL-proven Indian side but couldn’t put them away. Nepal lost Sompal Kami in the final ball of the 17th over. He scored seven runs off five deliveries with one six in an innings. In the very next delivery, Gulshan Jha was dismissed by Arshdeep Singh. That was when Nepal’s chase derailed. Karan KC scored 18 off 13 deliveries but Nepal couldn’t get over the line. Karan and Abinash Bohora who didn’t face any delivery remained unbeaten.

Nepal’s opener Kushal Bhurtel scored 28 off 32 deliveries with four fours and a six. Aasif Sheikh, another opener, was dismissed earlier with 10 runs in six deliveries. Kushal Malla got going but was sent back to the pavilion by Ravi Bishnoi on 29 runs off 22. Skipper Rohit Paudel scored just three runs off five.
Avesh Khan took three wickets for India in four overs giving away 32 runs. Leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi also took three wickets for 24 runs in four overs. Arshdeep Singh gave away 43 runs in four overs taking two wickets in the process. Sai Kishore took one wicket with 25 runs given in four overs.
Earlier, India winning the toss, chose to bat and made a total of 202 runs at the loss of four wickets. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal amassed 100 runs in 49 deliveries with eight fours and seven sixes. India’s skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 25 off 23 with four fours in his innings. Tilak Varma and Jitesh Sharma were dismissed in single digits managing to score two and five runs respectively.

All-rounder Shivam Dube remained unbeaten on 25 off 19 with two fours and a six. Power hitter Rinku Singh remained not out at the other end with 37 from 15 deliveries. He hit two fours and four sixes in his innings.
Dipendra Singh Airee took two wickets for Nepal in his spell of four overs and gave away 31 runs. Sompal Kami and Sandeep Lamichhane took one wicket each in four and three overs respectively. Karan KC bowled two overs for 23 runs while Rohit Paudel gave away 26 runs in three overs and remained wicketless.

Nepal defeated Maldives by 273 runs and Maldives by 138 runs to reach the quarterfinal stage of the tournament. India move on into the semifinals and will take on the winners of another quarterfinal between Bangladesh and Malaysia on Friday.