NI Bureau
Rohit Sharma was left in utter disbelief following India’s dismal fielding performance against Nepal in the Asia Cup 2023. It turned out to be a dreadful day for the Indian cricket team as they put down three catches within the first five overs of the match.
In the very first over of Nepal’s innings, Shreyas Iyer missed a straightforward chance when Kushal Bhurtel nicked a delivery from Mohammed Shami towards the slips. Just one ball later, Virat Kohli, positioned at cover point, was at fault for dropping a simple catch off Mohammed Siraj. A couple of overs later, Bhurtel once again edged a delivery from Shami, and it seemed like Ishan Kishan would easily complete the catch. However, it turned into a nightmare as the ball slipped through his gloves, leaving captain Rohit Sharma completely stunned. Later in the innings, Shardul Thakur also failed to seize a straightforward opportunity to prevent a boundary.
Rohit Sharma, the skipper of the Indian cricket team, won the toss and chose to field. He was visibly taken aback by the subpar fielding efforts.
“We have decided to bowl first. There’s no specific reason; we batted in the last game. We want to assess what our bowlers can do. I’m not sure about the weather, but we want our bowlers to get some experience. In the previous game, we batted well under pressure, especially Hardik and Ishan, who showed great maturity and took the game on. It’s a positive sign for us. This is another crucial match for us. We have one change – Bumrah is unavailable, and we’ve replaced him with Shami,” Rohit explained at the toss.
India’s Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.
Nepal’s Playing XI: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (w), Rohit Paudel (c), Bhim Sharki, Sompal Kami, Gulsan Jha, Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi.
Prateeksha Thakur
