India and Nepal have locked horns today in the fifth game of the ongoing Asia Cup. While Nepal lost to Pakistan in their opening game by 238 runs, India's opener against arch-rivals was washed out due to rain. This is a must-win match for both India and Nepal with the winner set to qualify for the Super Fours round. India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first even as the Men in Blue made one change to their playing XI. Jasprit Bumrah is not playing this match which has surprised many fans. Mohammed Shami has replaced him.
The reason for Bumrah not playing this match is that the cricketer has flown back to Mumbai to attend the birth of his first child. He and his wife Sanjana Ganesan were blessed with a baby boy on Monday (September 4). Bumrah took to social media to reveal the news as the couple named the boy Angad. Bumrah is now expected to return to Sri Lanka before India's next match in the Super Fours which will be against Pakistan on Sunday (September 10) if they beat Nepal today.
"Our little family has grown & our hearts are fuller than we could ever imagine! This morning we welcomed our little boy, Angad Jasprit Bumrah into the world. We are over the moon and can’t wait for everything this new chapter of our lives brings with it," Bumrah wrote on his Twitter handle.
India 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 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
"We are gonna bowl first. No particular reason. We batted in the last game. We want to see what the bowlers have in offer for us. I don't know about the weather. We just want to have the bowlers to have a game under the belt. The way we batted under pressure, Hardik and Ishan batted brilliantly. Ishan showed a lot of maturity and took the game on as well. Good signs for us. It's another important game for us. One change. Bumrah is not available, we've got Shami in place for him," Rohit said at the toss.
