Asia Cup: IND vs NEP Preview – India, Nepal clash for the first time

Team India earned a solitary point from their previous game against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023 due to persistent rain pouring at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. The Men in Blue will need to win their next fixture so as to keep their hopes alive of making it to the Super Four.

Team India endured early jolts against Pakistan during the first innings, however, it was Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya who stitched an invaluable partnership to help their side get back into the contest and post 266 runs. As the second innings could not be played due to the showers at the venue, team India will look to test their bowling department well in the second game against Nepal.

Likewise, Nepal, who endured a massive loss in their first game against the Men in Green, will be gunning for an improved outing against Rohit Sharma-led team India. While team India appear favourites for the final group stage match, it remains to be seen if Nepal will be able to pull off an upset on Monday’s clash.

Pitch Conditions:

The surface at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium offers ideal conditions for batting. However, bowlers will get some movement early on in the contest which will help them get the breakthroughs. The previous match between India and Pakistan saw a lot of swing on offer due to the weather conditions. While the toss may not matter much, team India may look to post a total whereas Nepal may look to stick to their strengths and bowl first.

Venue details: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium

Last ODI match at the venue: India vs Pakistan 2023, Asai Cup, Match 3 | Result: No result

Probable playing XI for India vs Nepal clash:

India

Instead of chopping and changing, the think tank will look to play the same XI as the bowling unit is yet to be tested.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Nepal

Despite the massive loss against Pakistan, the management is expected to back the same setup in their forthcoming match against team India.

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