The Indian cricket team captained by Gaikwad advances to the Asian Games semifinals. In the quarterfinal in Hangzhou, China, India played Nepal. India defeated Nepal by a score of 23 runs to advance to the semifinals. But in contrast to what many anticipated, Nepal put up a fight that nobody anticipated. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that India almost escaped a scare today as Nepal finished on 179/9 in response to India’s 202/4. Dipendra Airee, Sundeep Jora, and Karan KC delivered some lusty hits to raise the potential of a major upset despite having Nepal 4 down at 77, but in the end, the Indian bowlers utilized their expertise to avert a bombshell. Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan each took three wickets to complete the match.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain of India, won the toss and decided to bat in Hangzhou. The openers, Gaikwad and Jaiswal, teed off during the Powerplay and reached fifty runs within four overs. Jaiswal reached his half-century in just 22 balls and kept having a good time despite his partner and captain Gaikwad being reserved. Gaikwad finally established a few boundaries, but it was short-lived because he died after 25 attempts at establishing the boundary.

Then, even though Jaiswal’s massive knocks kept India going, Nepal struck again with Sompal Kami dismissing Tilak Varma and Sandeep Lamichhane dismissing Jitesh Sharma out caught and bowled. Jaiswal held up one end to finish his century but left shortly after, severely undermining India’s chances of reaching 200. To assist India in surpassing that threshold, Rinku did what he does best and hammered two sixes and two fours in the final over.

Avesh stuck early to give India a crucial breakthrough, and rookie R Sai Kishore sent back Kushan Bhurtel to increase the early pressure on Nepal’s pursuit. As a result of continuing wicket losses, while striving to meet a difficult necessary run rate, Nepal’s predicament grew worse. After Yashasvi Jaiswal delivered an outstanding effort with a 48-ball century and Rinku Singh played an explosive innings, scoring 37 runs off just 15 balls, including four strong sixes, the situation became difficult for Nepal. In the first quarterfinal of the cricket competition at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, this outstanding innings helped India record a strong 202/4 over Nepal.