Manish Pandey stars in Karnataka’s triumph over Asian Games-bound Team India in a warm-up game

In the midst of an exciting One-Day International (ODI) clash against Australia at PCA Stadium in Mohali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is set to lead India in the upcoming 19th Asian Games in China, witnessed his Asian Games-bound side facing Karnataka in a pre-departure warm-up fixture in Bengaluru. The warm-up match, which was expected to test the readiness of the Indian team, provided valuable insights and challenges ahead of the Asian Games, which are scheduled to take place between September 27 and October 7.

Indian team posts 133 in their 20 overs

In the warm-up match, the Men in Blue won the toss and elected to bat first. However, they could only muster a total of 133 runs in their allotted 20 overs. Karnataka’s medium pace bowler Manoj Bhandage was the star performer with the ball, wreaking havoc in the Indian batting lineup and finishing with remarkable bowling figures of 4-1-15-4.

Promising start by Indian openers

The Indian team got off to a promising start with openers Prabhsimran Singh and Yashasvi Jaiswal looking composed and determined to put up substantial scores. Prabhsimran fell agonizingly short of a half-century, amassing 49 runs, featuring seven boundaries and one maximum in his innings. On the other hand, Yashasvi played aggressively, racing to 31 off just 17 balls, courtesy of seven boundaries.

Indian innings loses momentum

However, once the openers departed, the Indian team’s innings lost momentum, and no other batter seemed capable of taking the attack to the Karnataka bowlers. The likes of Rahul Tripathi (6), Jitesh Sharma (2), Rinku Singh (5), and Shivam Dube (0) failed to make a significant impact.

Also READ: Twitter Reactions – Clinical India registers their first win over Australia in Mohali since 1996

Manish Pandey leads Karnataka to victory

In response, Karnataka’s Manish Pandey rose to the challenge and scored an unbeaten half-century. Manish’s resilient knock of 52 runs off 40 deliveries guided his side to victory with five balls to spare, showcasing his experience and composure under pressure.

Asian Games await Indian men’s team

The Indian men’s cricket team is gearing up for its debut appearance in the Asian Games, scheduled to take place between September 27 and October 7. India will directly enter Quarter Final 1 at Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou on October 3, marking an important moment in Indian cricket history.

India squad for Asian Games 2023:

Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh

Also READ: India’s fixtures for the Asian Games unveiled, Ruturaj & Co. gets direct entry into the quarterfinals

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September 23, 2023 at 12:42PM