Image Source- AFP
Yashasvi Jaiswal has already experienced a remarkable
2023. He scored the IPL’s quickest half-century in May, off just 13 balls. His
classic 171, which was played in Dominica in July and lasted 501 minutes and
387 balls, was the longest Test debut by an Indian player. He became the
youngest Indian to score a T20I century two months later in Hangzhou, where
India defeated Nepal by 23 runs to advance to the men’s competition semifinals.
The venue may have reminded him of the Mumbai maidans in terms of size.
Jaiswal’s assault was a display of deft striking
rather than mindless toil, as he made exactly 100 off of 49 balls. The innings,
which featured eight fours and seven sixes, contributed significantly to
India’s 202 for 4. They appeared to be gaining much more, but they faltered in the
middle innings before Rinku Singh’s sixes in the final innings provided the
winning blow.
Sundeep Jora’s late appearance, which reduced the
equation to 56 off 24, demonstrated Nepal’s determination to not be taken
lightly. At this time, they had scored more sixes (12) than fours (9), but they
kept losing wickets as they tried to keep going.
They could have been able to pull off a major upset
with a little more aid from one of the top order batters. They were primarily
stopped by Ravi Bishnoi’s arsenal of variations, which includes a flipper that
fizzes through the deck and a skiddy googly as a stock ball. His 3 for 24 in
those middle overs made Nepal’s task challenging. Bishnoi’s spell was even more
crucial after the fast bowlers suffered a defeat; their combined stats were
11-0-112-5.
Nepal eventually finished with 179 for 9, capping off
a remarkable run that saw them advance to the Asian Games, the Asia Cup, and
the World Cup qualifiers.