Asia Cup 2023: Predicting 3 players who could pick up the most wickets in today’s India vs Nepal match ft. Kuldeep Yadav

The fifth match of the Asia Cup 2023 will see India go up against Nepal at the Pallekele International Stadium in Pallekele on Monday, September 4, with a spot in the Super Four on the line for both teams.

While Pakistan have already secured qualification from Group A, India and Nepal face a knockout situation. This comes on the back of India's washout against Pakistan, who earlier humbled Nepal by 238 runs in the tournament opener.

India will be without the services of Jasprit Bumrah for this encounter, with the star fast bowler having returned home for the birth of his child. While they have enough resources in their bowling department to offset his absence, they will hope the entire pack comes to the party in this crucial encounter.

Ahead of the first ever men's ODI between India and Nepal, we try predicting three bowlers who could pick up the most wickets in this contest.

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#1 Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj has cast himself as one of the most pivotal cogs in India's ODI and Test setups over the last couple of years or so. His numbers in the 50-over format since 2022 are staggering - he has bagged 43 wickets in 24 outings at 18.95 apiece and a strike rate of 24.6.

It's no surprise that Siraj is currently ranked fourth in the ICC Player Rankings for men's ODI bowlers. Pace, swing, seam movement and raw aggression - he is the complete package and has been India's strike force in Jasprit Bumrah's absence.

With Bumrah missing this fixture, Siraj will have to deliver the goods yet again. The Nepalese batting lineup was rattled by the sheer pace of the Pakistani seam attack in their Asia Cup 2023 opener. Having not faced too many quick bowlers of that ilk, they could very well find the going tough against India.

Expect Siraj to steam in and dismantle their top order today in Pallekele, with the new ball having offered something for the seamers to work with thus far.

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#2 Karan KC

Karan KC was arguably the pick of Nepal's bowlers against Pakistan in Multan, returning 1/54 off his 10 overs even as the rest of his colleagues took some real tap. He bowled a very tidy four-over spell in the powerplay, getting Fakhar Zaman to nick behind while conceding just 13 runs through the course of that spell.

The fact of the new ball offering assistance for the fast bowlers holds good in Karan's case as well. More so against an Indian top order that struggled against Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, with Shubman Gill in particular enduring a wretched outing.

If conditions are once again overcast in Pallekele, expect Karan to fancy his chances against India's top three of Rohit Sharma, Gill and Virat Kohli. His ODI record speaks for itself - a proper wicket-taking option, he has bagged 74 wickets from just 47 appearances thus far in the format.

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#3 Kuldeep Yadav

Much like they aren't used to high pace, Nepal's batters find themselves in a similar situation with the left-arm wrist-spin variety of Kuldeep Yadav. It's the case with a lot of batters around the world, as they've found out the hard way against the Uttar Pradesh spinner.

Kuldeep's resurgence in the last year or so has to be taken into due account as well. An increase in pace, coupled with impeccable control over his length, has made him as one of the best wrist-spinners in the format in at present. Kuldeep has snared 34 wickets in just 20 outings in ODIs since the start of 2022, averaging 20.91 and striking once every 25.5 deliveries.

If Siraj can break open the top order, Kuldeep is India's de facto choice to mop up the tail. He often succeeds in the role without wasting much time, and even if Nepal begin well with the bat, contending with the spinner is a different proposition altogether.

It shoudn't come as a surprise at all, should Kuldeep feature among the wickets regularly today.

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Who do you think will bag the most wickets in today's Asia Cup encounter between India and Nepal? Have your say in the comments section below!

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