India comfortably beat Nepal by 10 wickets to book their berth in the super four stage alongside Pakistan.
Nepal fought valiantly but fell short in the end. After an impressive start against giants India, they were bowled out for 230 runs.
Due to a rain-affected second innings, India's target was reduced to 145 runs in 23 overs which they managed to chase down comfortably riding on Rohit Sharma's 74*(59) and Shubman Gill's 67* (62).
India's Asia Cup opener against Pakistan had to be abandoned due to rain on Saturday evening at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy.
Both India and Pakistan qualify for the next round with three points from two matches.
MORE: Bet on India vs Nepal here
India don't have Jasprit Bumrah for this game after he went back to India for the birth of his son. Mohammed Shami should come into the team.
India vs Nepal: Live score updates
Follow our live updates below for all the action from India vs Nepal. (All times IST)
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India dropped three catches in the first five overs today, to give Nepal a bit of a headstart. Read more here: Butter Fingers - India drop three catches in the first five overs against Nepal
11:30 pm- India register a comprehensive win by 10 wickets (D/L method) and book their berth in the super four stage.
10:59 pm- 100 runs partnership from India's opening pair. India need 44 runs to win off 54 balls.
10:16 pm- Play resumes! India need 145 runs in 23 overs.
10:05 pm- Finally some good news! Play to resume at 10:15pm IST.
9:44 pm- Rain continue to play the spoilsport in Kandy. Next inspection scheduled at 10pm IST.
8:19 pm- It's raining again in Kandy as the Indian openers return to pavilion. India are 17/0 in 2.1 overs.
7:37 pm- So, Nepal finally folded with 10 balls left in the innings. 230 is not a bad score, especially from 144/6. They got off to a stunning start, with Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh putting on 65 in just 58 balls. Sompal was brilliant at the back end, hitting a few lusty blows. India will be happy with how the spinners bowled in the middle overs but their fielding today was well below par, including three dropped catches in the first five overs.
India will be confident of chasing this, but Nepal have an ever-so-slight chance of causing them some problems. They will take heart from how they put pressure on Pakistan's batting in their first game, and a few early wickets could go a long way.
7:36 pm- WICKET! Siraj has been expensive today, but he gets a third wicket. Full, striaght, knocks back off-stump. Too good for the No 11 Rajbanshi, who's gone for a duck. Nepal 230 in 48.2 overs (Karan 2*).
7:32 pm- WICKET! Lamichhane drills this to Axar Patel at cover and just takes off, looking at the ball. His partner hasn't moved from the non-striker's end, and it's too late for him to get back in. He goes for 8. Lalit Rajbanshi will come in now. Nepal 229/9 in 47.4 overs (Karan 1*, Rajbanshi 0*).
7:29 pm- WICKET! Shami, possibly India's best pacer today, finally has a wicket. After upping the ante in the last couple of overs, Sompal Kami just hangs his bat out at this ball outside off, and nicks through to Kishan. He goes for a fantastic 48. Karan KC comes out to the middle. Nepal 228/8 in 47.2 overs (Karan 0*, Lamichhane 8*).
7:17 pm- The dismissal of Dipendra Singh Airee has put the breaks on Nepal's scoring. With 5 overs to go and 3 wickets in hand, anything around 230-240 will be a good effort indeed, and from there they can start to believe. On the other hand, India will be looking to bowl them out quickly. Nepal 205/7 in 45 overs (Sompal 29*, Lamichhane 6*).
7:01 pm- WICKET! Hardik Pandya is in on the action now. A good slower ball as Airee tries to play across the line but misses. He's trapped LBW for a quick 29 and a good partnership comes to an end. In comes Sandeep Lamichhane. Nepal 194/7 in 41.1 overs (Sompal 25*, Lamichhane 0*).
6:52 pm- Only 10 overs to go now, and Nepal will be looking to make sure they bat out the entire 50 overs now. Airee and Sompal have done well to keep India at bay so far, but how much can they score in the back end of the innings? Nepal 184/6 in 40 overs (Sompal 16*, Airee 28*).
6:45 pm- We're back underway! Last ball of the 38th over coming up, Hardik to Airee. On a good length outside off, beats the bat. Nepal 178/6 in 38 overs (Sompal 11*, Airee 27*).
6:32 pm- Update: Play is scheduled to resume at 6:45 pm IST with no overs lost.
6:20 pm- Update: There will be a ground inspection by the umpires in 10 minutes' time, at 6:30 pm.
6:06 pm- Update: The ground staff have begun to remove the covers from certain pockets of the outfield, but it seems as though the rain has not stopped completely. We continue to wait, but the signs are promising.
5:42 pm- PLAY INTERRUPTED- Well, it was only a matter of time. The weather forecast had rain, there were two separate occasions when the players started to go off before the rain stopped but now the heavens have opened up and it could be a significant delay. Sompal and Airee have both been good though, sticking out there and adding runs at a good clip to lift Nepali spirits. Nepal 178/6 in 37.5 overs (Sompal 11*, Airee 27*).
5:33 pm- After the wickets for Jadeja and then Siraj in the middle overs, the momentum has well and truly shifted in India's favour. Nepal will continue to resist, but the signs are still ominous for now, with 15 overs to go. Nepal 158/6 in 35 overs (Sompal 4*, Airee 14*).
5:15 pm- WICKET! Siraj gets a second! He's conceded at almost 7 an over today but pitches this one outside off stump. It catches the edge of Gulsan Jha's bat and goes through to Ishan Kishan. 23 runs for the 18-year-old as Siraj gets an 'I told you so' look from his captain. Sompal Kami is the new batter. Nepal 144/6 in 31.5 overs (Sompal 0*, Airee 6*).
5:04 pm- India nearly went 5 overs without taking a wicket but Siraj managed to get the big fish, dismissing Aasif Sheikh. Nepal could be in real danger of being bowled out early at this point, and India will be smelling blood. Nepal 134/5 in 30 overs (Gulsan 18*, Airee 1*).
5:02 pm- WICKET! Siraj strikes, despite having a poor game so far. A good short delivery rushes the set Aasif Sheikh, whose leading edge is pouched by a relieved Virat Kohli. His knock of 58 is over and Nepal really are in a spot of bother now. Dipendra Singh Airee walks to the crease. Nepal 132/5 in 29.5 overs (Gulsan 18*, Airee 0*).
4:43 pm- Those first ten overs feel like they happened an age ago, as Jadeja and Kuldeep have tied Nepal in knots here. Aasif Sheikh is still out there, standing firm on 47 off 84 with 18-year-old Gulsan Jha for company even as the run rate has begun to drop. Nepal 109/4 in 25 overs (Gulsan 6*, Aasif 47*).
4:32 pm- WICKET! Jadeja is racing through his overs, and this batting lineup, as he gets a third. A soft dismissal, as Malla just lifts this full delivery straight to Mohammed Siraj at mid-off. Here comes Gulsan Jha. Nepal 101/4 in 21.5 overs (Gulsan 0*, Aasif 39*).
4:25 pm- WICKET! Rohit Sharma placed himself at first slip a few balls earlier, and India are rewarded almost instantly. Jadeja induces the edge, Rohit takes the catch to dismiss his opposite number for just 5. It's time for Kushal Malla to come to the middle. Nepal 93/3 in 20 overs (Malla 0*, Aasif 39*).
4:09 pm- WICKET! Jadeja strikes! Bhim Sharki went for the booming cover drive, but all he does is edge the ball back onto his stumps. He departs for just 7. Captain Rohit Paudel is the new man in. Nepal 77/2 in 16 overs (Paudel 0*, Aasif 28*).
4:07 pm- India have begun to reel Nepal back in here. After overs 6-10 yielded 42 runs for Nepal, overs 11-15 have brought just 8 more. Bhurtel was the aggressor in that opening partnership, and now Bhim and Aasif are looking to consolidate, but can't afford to go into their shell too much. Nepal 73/1 in 15 overs (Bhim 5*, Aasif 26*).
3:47 pm- Shami has bowled superbly here, but the rest of the bowling has been a bit ordinary. Bhurtel hit a fantastic hook shot for six off Siraj and batted with positive intent before he was dismissed by Shardul Thakur, while Aasif has been a bit more sedate and solid. They've had their luck, with the three dropped catches and an LBW decision overturned but this is a great start. Nepal 65/1 in 10 overs (Bhim 0*, Aasif 23*).
3:45 pm- WICKET! Who else but Shardul Thakur? After bowling a short delivery that went for six, the medium-pacer induces the edge from Bhurtel through to Ishan Kishan. He's gone for 38. In comes Bhim Sharki. Nepal 65/1 in 9.5 overs (Bhim 0*, Aasif 23*).
3:21 pm- Run-scoring has not been easy in the early stages especially with the slow outfield, but India have made things tougher for themselves as Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan put down very presentable catches. There has been some movement and variable bounce early on, just like in the last game here but Bhurtel has been proactive, using his feet to counter the swing on offer. Nepal 23/0 in 5 overs (Bhurtel 12*, Aasif 7*).
3:00 pm- Match 5 of the 2023 Asia Cup is underway! Mohammed Shami to Kushal Bhurtel. Pitched on a length, just outside off and left alone. Nepal 0/0 in 0.1 overs (Bhurtel 0*, Aasif 0*).
2:41 pm- The rain began to fall just as the toss took place, but the covers that came on with it are starting to come off. Signs are pointing to the game starting on time.
Lineups: Shami in for India, Bhim in for Nepal
India playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.
Nepal playing XI: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Rohit Paudel (c), Bhim Sharki, Sompal Kami, Gulsan Jha, Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi.
Toss: India choose to bowl
India captain Rohit Sharma has won the toss, and chosen to bowl first in overcast conditions. His opposite number Rohit Paudel says he would have done the same. The pitch report from Sanjay Manjrekar and Matthew Hayden via Star Sports:
"The same wicket where India played Pakistan. The pitch looks really flat. Around a good length, it falls away a little bit and then rises up, that's why the pacers are getting variable bounce on this surface. The spinners will have some assistance too. It looks nice and dry. Bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav who throw it up will get bounce and extract some turn as well."
Pallekele weather under the spotlight
It's expected to be gloomy in Pallekele with rain predicted for the evening. There is a real chance that we might see a rain-truncated match. If that is the case, the team that wins the toss might elect to bowl first in order to make sure they are ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis calculations.
India vs Nepal: Head to Head record and predictions
Interestingly, this is the first meeting between India and Nepal in ODIs. Click here for head-to-head records, other match predictions and more.
Nepal XI vs India revealed
Pakistan have already revealed their lineup for the Asia Cup match against India. They are going in with their trusted pace bowling trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.
Nepal XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
IND vs Nep tips, predictions and betting odds
| IND win |
Nep win |
|
|---|---|---|
| Dafabet (India) |
1.01 | 22.00 |
IND vs NEP TV, telecast details
India vs Nepal will be broadcast in several languages, across the following TV channels in India:
- Star Sports 1
- Star Sports 1 Hindi
- Star Sports 3
- Star Sports Select 1
- Star Sports Select 1 HD
- Star Sports HD1
IND vs NEP: Live stream, mobile, online details
Live streaming of this game will be provided free of charge, exclusively through Hotstar, for mobile users.
Hotstar will also make it available to subscribers through other platforms like website and Smart TV app.