Asian Games 2023, Final: For more than 20 minutes of light rain, the neighborhood volunteers did their best to keep the gathering entertained, but when the rain became more intense, the supporters began to move indoors in search of shelter.
The men’s cricket championship here at the Pingfeng Cricket Campus on Saturday was postponed an hour later, depriving the spectators of a conclusion and depriving Afghanistan of the opportunity to compete for a rare Asian Games gold medal.
Due to its higher net run rate in the competition, India, which didn’t have to bat during the game, was given the victory and the gold medal.
“We are not used to winning medals. We are all very emotional,” said India skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad after the medal ceremony. It was disappointing not to have the full game but that’s something we can’t control,” he said.
It’s our first silver for Afghanistan: Skipper Gulbadin Naib
Afghanistan, which has had a solid outing itself, would feel hard done by after it recovered from an early collapse to post 112/5 in 18.2 overs.
“I am very proud of the silver. It’s our first silver for Afghanistan. This is everything for me,” said Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib.
It was an unforgettable tournament experience for everyone involved when the Indian squad later emerged and rejoiced in the rain. In the three games it played, India hardly made a mistake, and Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team appeared poised to win.
After a brief rainstorm delayed the scheduled start, the final started under lights.
On a cloudy afternoon, Ruturaj may have decided to bowl first at the toss because of the likelihood of rain, which significantly influenced the result of the bronze medal match earlier in the day.
With its four tall bowlers, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, and R. Sai Kishore, India emerged as the dominant force in the batting PowerPlay thanks to the pitch’s added bounce. Mohammad Shahzad and Zubaid Akbari, Afghanistan’s starting pitchers, were both defeated by the extra bounce on the surface.
When Dube delivered a length delivery, Akbari attempted to get over mid-on, but his mistimed shot couldn’t clear Arshdeep, who finished the catch. Arshdeep then experienced a lucky break when the umpire ruled Shahzad to have been caught behind as the ball deviated off of his shoulders as he attempted to deflect a short ball aimed at him.
Asian Games 2023, Final: Ravi Bishnoi dominated the Afghanistan line-up
Afghanistan had trouble picking Bishnoi’s googlies as they raced over the pitch, making him the best of the Indian bowlers. After almost missing Afsar Zazai’s stumps in the opening over, the leggie misjudged the batsman and castled him.
His final spell result was 4-0-12-1. After forcing Karim Janat to play for the spin, Shahbaz Ahmed defeated him by slipping through his defense.
Shahidullah Kamal (49 off 43 balls) and captain Gulbadin (27 off 24) pulled up an important 60-run stand to stop Afghanistan’s decline and push it above 100 runs as the field’s darkness started to fall.
Shahidullah ascended on anything from Shahbaz or Kishore that was short or in the slot.
Before Shahidullah smacked an Arshdeep full toss over deep midwicket, Gulbadin joined the action by launching Kishore over long on for a six.
Before 4 p.m., with both sets of teams being brought off the field, the rain resumed, just as the two sets of batters were poised for a final flourish toward the end.
Also read: India Surpasses 100-Medal Milestone at Hangzhou Asian Games
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