Emotions were on full display as Sai Kishore could not control his tears during the national anthem before India’s quarter-final clash against Nepal. Kishore, who has been in the wilderness for over two years, finally made his India debut in the T20I format. As the players were standing for the national anthem, the lanky off-spinner was pretty emotional as his hard efforts finally paid off.
Kishore, who shot into the limelight by playing Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and Indian Premier League (IPL) for Gujarat Titans (GT), played his first international game in the second-string India team led by Ruturaj Gaikwad.
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While he was emotional during the national anthem, there were no emotions whatsoever when he came into bowl in the middle overs, the off-spinner was the most economical bowler on the display. Kishore picked up one wicket and gave away just 25 runs in his four overs. After patiently waiting for the India call-up, Kishore displayed a good temperament and helped India beat Nepal by 23 runs.
Sai Kishore: Yashasvi Jaiswal’s blitz, Sai Kishore’s economical spell powers India to semi-finals of the Asian Games
Speaking about the match, after winning the toss Gaikwad had no hesitation in batting, and after that, it was Jaiswal show all the way. The southpaw struck a 48-ball 100 and thus became the youngest Indian to score a T20I century. Jaiswal struck eight 4s and seven 6s in his splendid 100. The youngster’s efforts powered India to an imposing total of 202.
Later, with the ball in hand, India kept chipping away with wickets and restricted Neal to 179. Kishore took one wicket, while Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi took two and three wickets respectively. India’s win now puts them into the semis of the Asian Games. Now, Gaikwad & Co will play either Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, or Afghanistan in the semis of the Continental Games.