Yashasvi Jaiswal’s fantastic century, taking only 49 balls, along with a brilliant bowling performance by Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi, secured India’s spot in the semifinals of the 19th Asian Games. They defeated Nepal by 23 runs in a thrilling contest.
Yashasvi’s remarkable 100 off 49 balls marked his first T20 International century, making him the youngest Indian to achieve this feat at just 21 years and 279 days. He surpassed Shubman Gill’s previous record, who had scored a century at the age of 23 years and 146 days against New Zealand.
India won the toss and decided to bat, with Yashasvi leading the charge during the powerplay. He aggressively took on the bowlers right from the start, forming a century-opening partnership with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
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However, Ruturaj had a modest outing, scoring 25 off 23 balls before getting dismissed. It was Yashasvi’s outstanding performance that laid the foundation for India’s innings.
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Tilak Varma and Jitesh Sharma were also dismissed quickly. Then, Rinku and Shivam Dube put together a crucial 52-run partnership, with Rinku contributing an unbeaten 37 off 15 balls, propelling India to a total of over 200 runs.
In response, Nepal’s openers started steadily but couldn’t make a substantial impact during the powerplay. Despite handy contributions from Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Sundeep Jora, it was clear that their efforts wouldn’t be enough.
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Avesh and Bishnoi both took three wickets, while Sai Kishore had a promising debut, grabbing a wicket and making three catches. These combined efforts limited Nepal to 179-9 in 20 overs, securing India’s 23-run victory.
In the semifinals, India will face the winner of the Bangladesh-Malaysia quarter-final match, scheduled for Friday.
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