Asia Cup 2023: The India vs Nepal game might have been curtailed due to rain in Sri Lanka's Pallekele but the Indian captain Rohit Sharma and opener Shubman Gill made complete merry of the occasion. Chasing a DLS target of 145 in 23 overs, both Sharma and Gill took India to a comfortable 10-wicket win over Rohit Paudel's Nepal at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Monday. Both the openers crossed fifties with ease and Sharma went on to create an all-time record for India in Asia Cup.
Sharma left behind Legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the list of Indians to hit the most fifty-plus scores in the Asia Cup (ODI and T20I combined). The skipper's unbeaten 74 in 59 balls was his 10th fifty-plus knock in the continental event and he leapfrogged Tendulkar, who had nine such scores. Sharma now leads the tally of Indians to hit the most fifty-plus scores in the continental event and is only behind Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara overall. The former wicket-keeper batter has 12 knocks of over fifty.
Rohit Sharma leads Indians in tally of sixes
Meanwhile, Sharma now leads the tally of Indians with the most sixes in ODI Asia Cup. The 36-year-old hit five sixes in his 59-ball stay and that took him past former cricketer Suresh Raina. Sharma now has 23 sixes to his name in the 50-over format of the Asia Cup, while Raina has 18 maximums. The Mumbai Indians captain is only behind Pakistan's Shahid Afridi and Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya, who smoked 26 and 23 sixes, respectively.
In a rain-curtailed game between India and Nepal, the Men in Blue prevailed in 20.1 overs with the openers going unbeaten. India qualified for the Super Four of the event and will lock horns against Pakistan in their first game on September 10.
