Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill shared a match-winning stand as Team India thrashed Nepal by 10 wickets (via DLS method) on Monday to book their berth in the Super Four round of the Asia Cup.
It was a must-win game for the Men in Blue after their match against Pakistan was abandoned due to rain. While the start wasn’t great, India slowly crawled back as the game progressed.
After bowling out Nepal for 230, India made a decent start before the heavens opened up. The game eventually resumed at 10.15 pm IST, with the revised target of 145 runs from 23 overs.
Rohit (74* off 59) and Shubman Gill (67* off 62) finished the job with 17 balls remaining and 10 wickets in hand.
Reflecting on his knock, the Indian skipper stated that he was nervous at the start but settled well after a few hits. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Rohit Sharma said:
“Not really (happy with the knock), some nerves to start with but once I got my eye in, I wanted to get the team home.”
The knock will give Rohit some much-needed confidence as they look forward to the ICC ODI World Cup, scheduled to be played on home soil, starting on October 5.
“We knew what our World Cup 15 is going to be like” – Rohit Sharma on India’s squad for the mega event
The ongoing Asia Cup is perceived to be a platform where teams would finalize their final 15-member squad for the World Cup. However, Rohit Sharma stressed that they knew their final 15 even before landing in Sri Lanka for the continental tournament.
“When we came here we knew what our World Cup 15 is going to be like, the Asia Cup was not going to give us a better picture because it was only two games,” Rohit said. “But luckily we got to bat in the first game and bowl in this, so that made it a complete game for us.”
Despite a comprehensive win, Rohit highlighted that they need to work on certain areas as they aim for the elusive trophy on November 19 in Ahmedabad.