(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] The Indian men’s cricket team, participating in the Asian Games 2022 for the very first time, advanced to the semi-final as they won the quarter-final match against Nepal, which took place earlier today at Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field, Hangzhou.
India won the toss and elected to bat first, scoring 202 runs in 20 overs with the loss of four wickets. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored his maiden T20I hundred, becoming the youngest Indian player to achieve this milestone. Nepal did manage to get the wicket of Jaiswal, but heavy fireworks from the India middle-order batter Rinku Singh ensured that his team ending up scoring at the excess of 200. Rinku scored unbeaten knock of 37 runs off 15 balls with a strike rate of 246.67, which included two fours and four sixes.
While chasing the target, Nepal finished at 179-9 as India won the match by 23 runs. Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan picked up three wickets each, whereas Arshdeep Singh took two wickets.
Former India explosive opener Virender Sehwag was greatly impressed by the knock played by Rinku Singh at the end of the innings. Sehwag took to his official ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) account and praised Rinku, saying India need to have more players like him and Suryakumar Yadav in their T20 outfit.
“I just feel we have too many batters who play in the same gear. Need to nurture more explosive players who can play top gear, especially in T20 cricket. Many more in the Rinku and SKY mode needed to become a dangerous side,” Sehwag wrote on X.
India will now play a semi-final match on 6th October at the same venue in Hangzhou and will be eyeing their maiden Asian Games Gold Medal in the men’s cricket event. The final will take place on 7th October.