Nepal Struggles with Batting in Fourth Practice Match Against Karnataka U19

Nepal’s U19 team faced batting woes in their fourth practice match against Karnataka U19 as part of preparations for the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup. Playing at the Mulpani Cricket Ground, Nepal elected to bat first after winning the toss but was bowled out for a mere 105 runs in 35.1 overs.

Opener Mayan Yadav and Roshan Bik were the only bright spots in the batting lineup, scoring 34 runs each. Mayan hit four boundaries in his 61-ball innings, while Roshan remained unbeaten, smashing six fours in his composed knock of 46 balls. Despite their efforts, the rest of the lineup struggled, with no other batsman reaching double digits.

Medium pacer Akshath Prabhakar was the star for Karnataka, claiming five wickets in his eight-over spell. Left-arm spinner Pranav Ashwath bowled an exceptional 10-over spell, taking three wickets while conceding just 10 runs, including five maidens. Esha Puthige and Malatesh picked up one wicket each to wrap up Nepal’s innings.

Nepal’s innings started poorly, losing opener Akash Tripathi for 7 runs in the seventh over. Stand-in captain Arjun Kumal fell for 5, caught at square leg while attempting a pull shot in the 17th over. Middle-order batsmen Santosh Yadav (8) and Naren Bhatt (3) could not make significant contributions, while Uttam Magar, Yunish Thakuri, and Yuvraj Khatri departed without scoring.

Despite Roshan’s fighting effort, Nepal struggled to post a competitive total. If Karnataka wins this match, the five-game series will be leveled at 2-2, with the decider scheduled for Thursday.