India vs Nepal, Asia Cup 2023: Team India Super 4 Qualification Scenario If Rain Washes Out Match at Pallekele

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Team India will take on Associate Nation Nepal in their second Group A match of the Asia Cup 2023 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Monday (September 4).

The Rohit Sharma-led side had to contend with just one point after their opening game of the multi-nation tournament, which is being held in the ODI format this year, was abandoned due to incessant rain.

Having posted 266 after electing to bat first, the Men in Blue hoped to put up a fight with the ball and come out victorious against arch-rivals on Saturday (September 2) but rain proved to be a dampener as the entire second innings was washed out.

Team India now face neighbours Nepal in their second match of the competition and will be hoping to win this one and qualify for the Super 4 stage. But what if rain plays spoilsport today as well? Will the Men In Blue - who are the reigning Asia Cup Champions in ODI format - be able to qualify for the next round?

Team India Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 Qualification Scenarios?

Pakistan have already qualified for the Super 4 stage from Group A, with three points. The Babar Azam-led side defeated Nepal in the tournament opener by 238 runs to pocket 2 vital points and later shared one point with India. Three points in two games are enough for the Men In Green to be through to the next round as the top-ranked team in the group. Asia Cup 2023, India vs Nepal Dream11: IND vs PAK Predicted Playing 11 and Fantasy Picks

India's Chances After Win or Loss?

Should India win this game against Nepal, which is almost a certainty given their stature? With the win, India will also have three points and qualify for the Super 4 stage as the second team from Group A. India will then face Pakistan on September 10 in the Super 4 match.

In case Nepal end up shocking the titans India in the last Group A game of the continental showpiece, the Rohit Paudel-led side will fail to qualify for the Super 4 stage of the six-team competition. With a win, Nepal will have two points while Indians will have just a solitary point from the abandoned Pakistan game.

What will happen if rain washes out the IND vs NEP match?

Even if rain plays spoilsport at Pallekele tonight, coach Rahul Dravid's team will enter the Super 4 stage with two points. While Nepal will have just one point as they didn't get any points after losing to Pakistan in the opener in Multan. In case of a washout, India will have 2 points while Nepal will only have 1 point.

IND-NEP Match: Players to watch out for

There were some encouraging signs for India from their match against Pakistan on Saturday. Captain Rohit Sharma would want to build on them ahead of the business end of this tournament as they stiffer challenges in the waiting.

Captain Rohit and his predecessor Virat Kohli were rested for the ODIs against the West Indies, while Shreyas Iyer is making his return after an injury lay-off. They failed to leave a mark in front of a quality Pakistan fast-bowling attack and were dismissed early.

Nepal might just give the trio the perfect opposition to earn some valuable game time and runs. In the match against Nepal, Pakistan had two centurions in captain Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmad.

Indian top four, comprising Rohit, Shubman Gill, Kohli and Iyer, would also be raring to go against Nepal bowlers and get some runs against their names to avoid a repeat of Asia Cup 2022, where they failed to cross the Super 4 stage.

Nepal would be eager to mask their lack of cricketing pedigree with their enthusiasm when they come out against a cricketing powerhouse like India. Their biggest hope to make some impact in the match will be leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane and captain Rohit Paudel. But in the real world, they will be more than happy to limit the damage to the minimum.