Twitter Reactions: Samjhana Khadka steers Nepal Women to memorable Asia Cup win over UAE

Nepal Women took on United Arab Emirates Women in Match 1 of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium in Dambulla on July 19. Nepal won the toss and opted to field first. UAE dealt an early blow as they lost three wickets inside the powerplay with just 36 runs on the board. Esha Oza, Rinith Rajith, and Theertha Satish departed after scoring 10, 6, and 9 respectively.

Samaira Dharnidharka followed suit after scoring 13 runs as Kavisha Egodage and Khushi Sharma put up a 32-run stand for the fifth wicket. The duo walked back after contributing 22 and 36 respectively and the lower order crumbled like a pack of cards. UAE managed just 115 runs on a slower wicket as Nepal captain, Indu Barma dazzled with three wickets. 

While chasing, Nepal entered with confidence that half of the war had already been won. While the powerplay was similar to that of UAE, the fall of wickets at regular intervals did not hurt as Samjhana Khadka held onto the other end. Sita Rana Magar and Kabita Kunwar managed just 7 and 2 runs while assisting marauding Khadka. Indu could not replicate her bowling heroics while batting and Khadka did the toiling in the middle.

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Khadka shows resolute to register memorable win over UAE

She single-handedly cruised Nepal’s innings towards the win as timely boundaries helped the cause while other batters struggled on a sluggish pitch. After Rubina Chhetry trudged back scoring 10 runs, Nepal were an inch towards the memorable win. Khadka played a match-winning knock of an unbeaten 72 off 45 and Nepal started their tournament on a high note having defeated the ACC Premier Cup champions by six wickets and 3.5 overs to spare.  

Here's how 'X' users reacted to Nepal's win over UAE: