Mohammed Siraj picks three against Nepal, as India need 231 runs to seal Super Four spot in Asia Cup

Ace pacer Mohammed Siraj struggled to get going in the initial overs of the match against Nepal in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. However, the Hyderabad-born cricketer bounced back pretty strongly to help India restrict the Rohit Paudel-led side to 230 runs. In the second innings, the Men in Blue will be aiming to topple that in order to seal their berth for the Super Four of the competition.

Notably, Siraj picked up the crucial wicket of Aasif Sheikh, who was looking extremely dangerous in the middle. The stumper-batter gave Nepal a perfect start as he hit 58 runs off 97 deliveries. Kushal Bhurtel supported him well in the middle as the duo played a massive part in helping Nepa cross the 200-run barrier. Later on, Siraj picked up the wicket of Gulshan Jha, who got out after scoring 23 runs. Towards the fag end of the game, the 29-year-old dismissed Lalit Rajbanshi to complete his three-fer.

Mohammad Siraj is on fire...!!!

2 wickets in 2 overs for him - Brilliant bowling by Siraj. pic.twitter.com/gv1FeYSxKr

— Salman Ahmed Meo (@SalmanK62069884) September 4, 2023

However, Siraj also leaked 61 runs in 9.2 overs, which remains to be a massive concern. The cricketer is expected to play a massive part for India in the upcoming ODI World Cup and hence, his form is extremely important for the team going forward.

Jadeja and Kuldeep brought India back into the contest by ripping away Nepal's middle order

On the other hand, the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav were sensational in Pallekele. Jadeja picked up three wickets to completely shatter the backbone of Nepal’s middle order while Kuldeep didn’t pick any but proved to be economical.

When it comes to the chase, all eyes will be on India’s top order. In the last match against Pakistan. The trio of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli failed to make a mark and hence, will be gunning to return back to form. Shreyas Iyer too will be looking to find his mojo. Meanwhile, Nepal will come hard at India as the team will back themselves to get the job done but it will definitely not be an easy task. However, with 230 runs on the board, it surely offers an interesting second innings of the game and the run chase.