Nepal gear up for his or her first outing towards India’s superstars
Big image: Rain within the air as soon as once more
Rain ruined the India-Pakistan recreation, the primary in ODI cricket between the 2 groups because the 2019 World Cup, on Saturday in Pallekele. The same rain menace hangs over the India-Nepal recreation on the similar venue on Monday, with possibilities of precipitation as much as 80%. If Monday’s fixture in Pallekele can also be washed out, India will be a part of their arch-rivals Pakistan within the Super Fours from Group A.
Nepal won’t wish to return residence with out testing themselves towards India’s superstars. If the climate clears up, this might be their greatest match but, with tens of millions tuning into it. Just two months again, in Colombo, a Rohit Paudel-led Nepal group got here up against an India A team stuffed with IPL gamers, and suffered a drubbing.
Nepal suffered an analogous drubbing by the hands of Babar Azam’s Pakistan on their Asia Cup debut in Multan, however there have been some passages of play the place they confirmed that they may compete with prime groups. Like when Karan KC and Sompal Kami operated with self-discipline and objective within the early exchanges. When Paudel swooped in on the ball and nailed a direct hit to run Imam-ul-Haq out. However, on the similar time, additionally they botched a variety of possibilities within the discipline.
They cannot afford any such clumsy errors – or no group for that matter – towards an India aspect that’s virtually again to full power. Shreyas Iyer seemed fluent towards Pakistan earlier than his keep was reduce quick by Haris Rauf. Jasprit Bumrah will look to get a stable ODI exercise after rain denied him a crack at Pakistan with the ball. It was Ishan Kishan, who made the biggest splash on Saturday, with 82 off 81 balls at No. 5 towards a fearsome tempo assault on a two-paced observe.
Going into the match as overwhelming favourites, will India give Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma an opportunity earlier than they announce their World Cup squad?
India WLWLL (final 5 accomplished ODIs, most up-to-date first)
Nepal LLWLL
In the highlight: Kuldeep Yadav and Lalit Rajbanshi
Since his return to the ODI aspect in January, Kuldeep Yadav has established himself as India’s premier spinner within the format. Among bowlers from Full-Member nations, solely Wanindu Hasaranga, Mark Adair and Maheesh Theekshana have extra wickets than Kuldeep’s 22 in 11 innings in ODI cricket this year. On Monday, Kuldeep can handsomely add to his tally towards an opposition that maybe is not used to going through high-quality left-arm wristspin.
Lalit Rajbanshi bowls the much less glamorous number of spin – left-arm fingerspin – and has spent a lot of his profession within the shadow of legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane. But he has performed his half in Nepal’s latest success together with his defensive expertise. Those expertise had been on shiny show towards Pakistan in Multan, the place he strung collectively 33 dots. In a match the place Pakistan rattled up 342, Rajbanshi gave away simply 48 from his ten overs. Earlier, towards West Indies within the ODI World Cup Qualifier in Harare, he even fronted as much as bowl on the loss of life and removed Rovman Powell, Shai Hope and Keemo Paul.
Kishan seemingly struggled whereas operating between the wickets towards Pakistan, however he was able to preserve wicket earlier than persistent rain had the ultimate say. India haven’t any motive to make any modifications until they wish to throw in Suryakumar or Tilak, who was notably spectacular through the T20I sequence towards West Indies.
India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Ishan Kishan (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj
Bhim Sharki is a part of the squad as a reserve batter, however Nepal would possibly stick with the identical XI.
Nepal (possible): 1 Kushal Bhurtel, 2 Aasif Sheikh (wk), 3 Rohit Paudel (capt), 4 Aarif Sheikh, 5 Sompal Kami, 6 Dipendra Singh Airee, 7 Gulsan Jha, 8 Kushal Malla, 9 Karan KC, 10 Sandeep Lamichhane, 11 Lalit Rajbanshi
The circumstances – each overhead and underfoot – in Pallekele challenged batters on Saturday. There might be some juice for the seamers on Monday too, however all eyes will likely be on the skies as soon as once more.