NEP vs IND: U19 Cricket World Cup 2024 - Match Review

Posted on February 3, 2024  •  7 minutes  • 1390 words

NEP vs IND: U19 Cricket World Cup 2024 - Match Review

Nepal faced India in a tough U19 Cricket World Cup match that ultimately proved too much for the young Nepali side. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the game, including player performances and key takeaways.

Here is the scorecard for the match from ESPN Cricinfo.

Early Thoughts

• Nepal faced a daunting challenge against an in-form Indian team in the Super Sixes stage of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup.
• India started steadily with a composed opening partnership, making the most of Nepal’s overthrows to keep the scoreboard ticking early.
• Sachin Dhas, the star of the Indian innings, paced his century perfectly, taking charge of the game and leading India to a commanding total.
• Nepal’s bowlers had a tough outing but showed glimpses of control during the initial powerplay and by arresting some momentum in the death overs.

Match Summary

India displayed their dominance, setting up a challenging target of 298 after a brilliant 116-run innings by Sachin Dhas. Nepal’s bowling unit struggled to contain the Indian middle order, with key partnership between Uday Saharan and Sachin Dhas proving pivotal.

In response, Nepal’s top order started cautiously but failed to maintain momentum against a disciplined Indian bowling attack. Despite brief resilience from the middle order, the team was unable to chase the target, trudging to 165/9 in 50 overs.

India’s comprehensive 132-run victory highlighted their strength in all departments and emphasized the work Nepal needs to do to compete at this level. A silver lining for Nepal was that they hung on to play out the full 50 overs, showcasing their determination and fighting spirit.

Player Ratings

Arjun Kumal (4/10)

• Cautious start, especially against balls directed at his body.
• Played an elegant late cut against the dangerous Pandey.
• Got stuck at the crease after the first powerplay and could not score fluently.
• Eventually was bowled by Pandey as he played down the wrong line of a ball that straightened a touch after it pitches. Scored 26(64).
• His current technique relies heavily on hand-eye coordination and looks especially susceptible to balls that move off the seam.

Deepak Bohora (5/10)

• Looked patient in the beginning overs of the first powerplay and took his time.
• Ended the powerplay with a flurry of boundaries to up the scoring rate.
• Achieved a key goal of not losing a wicket in the first powerplay.
• But got out shortly after trying to pull a well-directed short ball into the body that quickened up on him. He ended up ballooning the shot back to the bowler. Scored 22(42).

Uttam Ranju Thapa Magar (3/10)

• Got a free hit on his second ball, skied it upwards for no runs.
• Very watchful start in the beginning, perhaps lacking in good strike rotation.
• Too passive in his batting against the spinners, zero aggression and negligible rotation of strike.
• Played a nice cut shot off Musheer behind backward point for four.
• Good balls, dot. Bad balls, dot. Pressure release shot, gone.
• Came in at #3 but sucked away all of the momentum given by the openers. Scored 8(30).
• Was dependable with the glove and chirpier than fellow wickie Rawal.

Dev Khanal (7/10)

• In at #4, but faced a consistent fall of wickets on the other end within the first 20 minutes.
• Nepal’s batting innings collapsed from a steady position of 64/1 to 77/7 by the time he faced 14 balls.
• Looks a class apart with his approach and technique, but only has the support of tailenders to bat out the innings.
• Gets a little too cute with a shot and gets bowled by Pandey.
• Scored 33(53). This score epitomizes his tournament. Always got good starts, but never capitalized on one.
• Decent bowling changes as a captain but unable to break the classy 4th wicket partnership between Dhas-Saharan.

Bishal Bikram KC (2.5/10)

• In at #5, edged the first ball towards gully and scampered for a single.
• Edged the second ball to first slip off the same line. Scored 1(2) to give Pandey back-to-back wickets.
• Completely bamboozled by Pandey making him unsure whether to play or leave the ball.
• Could not replicate his batting success from previous game but fielded well on multiple occasions.

Deepak Dumre (3/10)

• Excellent fielding and throw from the deep to run out Moliya.
• Came in at #6, and threw away his wicket slashing a full delivery to a widish slip. Scored 0(4).

Gulshan Jha (4.5/10)

• Bowled with good control early on; provided the first breakthrough with a short ball.
• Bowled well at the death to take the wickets of the two set batsmen without conceding too many runs. But a little too late to change the complexion of the game.
• In at #7, looked gone first ball if not for a feather of an edge before the ball hit the pads.
• Looked relieved to get off the mark in the fourth ball. Played at a wide, full delivery the next ball with no foot movement and chopped the ball onto the off-stump.
• Scored 1(6), and his poor batting form continued. These batting performances might put his senior team selection into jeopardy.

Dipesh Kandel (3.5/10)

• Ended his bowling quota early so avoided the overs in which the set Dhas-Saharan partnership dished out their punishment.
• Figures of 0/46 from 10 overs meant that he kept things relatively tight but was not able to break the key opposition partnership.
• In at #8, he had a swipe at a widish ball from Arshin early on but missed.
• Played for the turn from Murugan but the ball came in with the arm and disturbed the stumps. Scored 0(6).
• Not a great tourney for him either with the ball or the bat.

Subash Bhandari (4.5/10)

• His bowling was a tale of two halves. Only conceded 19 runs in the first 5; but Dhas took a liking to him and India took him for 36 runs in the next 5. Wicketless though.
• Stayed with Dev to somewhat stabilize the innings after a spectacular collapse.
• Brought about the innings third third-highest partnership with Dev.
• Struggled against the short-pitched balls, and eventually fended at one and feathered it through to the keeper. Scored 5(18).
• Batted with grit all tourney but the ball to get him out was too good for him.
• Bowled tidy spells but has been inconsistent with his ability to take wickets.

Akash Chand (5/10)

• Got movement early on; got outward seam movement that took the outside edge of the dangerous Kulkarni in his second over.
• Smashed around by Dhas to end up with final figures of 1/65 in 9 overs.
• In at #10, looked to keep Dev company and was more circumspect than his partner.
• Played second fiddle to Gupta too when Dev departs. Did exceeding well to stay not out and stay out for more than 15 overs.

Durgesh Gupta (7/10)

• Decent opening spell but got punished by Adarsh Singh when he bowled full early on. Still managed to bowl 2 maiden overs during the first powerplay.
• But could not prise a wicket this innings and got taken for runs by the two set batsmen in the middle overs.
• In at #11, played a nice flick for four off Musheer, and then followed it up with a slog-sweep for six.
• Peppered with the short ball by Shukla but he saw him off well. Took a 2 from a free-hit.
• Full ball from Limbani that he dispatched down the ground for four. Late cuts against the spinners for runs behind the wicket.
• Stayed 29 not out to play out the alloted overs and showed the middle order how it’s done.

Key Takeaways from NEP vs IND

• Opening Partnership Positivity: Nepal’s opening pair showed intent and resilience in the powerplay, achieving the key goal of not losing a wicket early.

• Middle-Order Struggles: Nepal’s middle-order batsmen failed to rotate the strike effectively, leading to a buildup of pressure eventuating in a dramatic collapse.

• Dev Khanal’s Leadership: Despite limited support, Dev Khanal’s approach and technique stood out. He needs to convert starts into big scores to find his way into the senior team.

• Bowling Promises: Nepal’s bowlers, particularly Akash Chand and Gulshan Jha, displayed flashes of brilliance but need to maintain consistency throughout the innings.

• Areas for Improvement: Better strike rotation against spinners, reducing extras in the field, and addressing the vulnerability against short-pitched deliveries are crucial to improve upon.