On October 6, 2023, India's Tilak Varma (R) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (L) celebrate their nine-wicket triumph against Bangladesh in the men's semifinal of the Asian Games. Image: AFP



At the Zheijng University of Technology Pingfen cricket venue today, Bangladesh lost to India by nine wickets in the first semifinal of the men's cricket competition of the Hangzhou Asian Games.



Bangladesh will face the losers of the second semifinal between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Saturday, giving them one more chance to defend the bronze medal they won in the Incheon Asian Games in 2014.

Follow The Daily Star's Google News channel for the most recent information.

After holding Bangladesh to 96 for nine in 20 overs, the India team, which was competing in the Games for the first time, quickly reached the victory target of 97 runs with 10.4 overs remaining and only one wicket lost.


Yashasvi Jaiswal, the game's first batter, was bowled out by Ripon Mondal in the first over, but the captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and the struggling Tilak Varma made it a one-sided contest with unbeaten scores of 40 and 55, respectively.


When asked to bat first, Bangladesh's hitters gave up in the face of some organized bowling from India.

Only three batters reached the double-digit mark: opener Parvez Hossain Emon (24), middle-order Jaker Ali (24), and lower-order Rakibul Hasan (14).

Tomorrow's bronze-medal match will be between Bangladesh and the losers of the second semifinal between Pakistan and Afghanistan.