India on Sunday suffered a shock 19-run defeat against Nepal in the U-19 Asia Cup one-day tournament at Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. Yes, you read that right. A team representing Nepal defeated a team representing India.
After that stunning win, Rahul Dravid, the India Under-19 coach, offered words of encouragement to Binod Kumar Das, his counterpart and former Nepal captain. Despite the defeat, Dravid was gracious to congratulate the opponents.
“Dravid has been very humble. He congratulated us,” Das was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo after the victory. “He said we deserved this win as much as anybody else. He also said we played better than anybody else in the tournament. We are happy he acknowledges our effort. We are thrilled to have his support with us.”
India opted to bowl after winning the toss and restricted Nepal to 185 for 8 in 50 overs with Aditya Thakare and Abhishek Sharma grabbing two wickets apiece. But the Indian side led by opening batsmen Himanshu Rana failed to chase down the target as they were bowled out for 166 in 48.1 overs in the Group A match.
“We are all very excited about it because we have never beaten India at any level,” Das said. “Knowing India’s strength it is one of the biggest wins for us.”
Brief Scores:
Nepal U-19: 185 for 8 in 50 overs (Dipendra Singh 88, Aditya Thakare 2/33, Abhishek Sharma 2/38).
India
U-19: 166 all out in 48.1 overs (Himanshu Rana 46; Dipendra Singh 4/39).
