Nepal sets string of T20I records at Asian Games 2023, Dipendra Singh Airee breaks Yuvraj Singh's 16-year-old record

It was a record-breaking Wednesday for the Nepal cricket team in China's Hangzhou. The Associate Member of the Cricket Governing Body has recently been in the news for their spirited display on the field, especially for the 2023 Asia Cup. They have now once again caught the attention of the cricket world by setting numerous world records during the Asian Games 2023 opener against Mongolia on September 27 at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field.

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After being asked to bat first, Nepal got off to a relatively slow start with their openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh returning to the pavilion without troubling their opponents too much. Nepal were at 66/2 in 7.2 overs, but ended with a humongous total of 314/3 in 20 overs! The scoreboard itself will speak for what was a carnage of a show by the Nepal batters to set the highest-ever T20I score.

Nepal shifted to top gear when Kushal Malla and captain Rohit Paudel converged at the crease. The duo put on 193 runs for the third wicket in just 65 balls. Their no. 3 batter Malla overtook T20I greats like India's Rohit Sharma and South Africa's David Miller to score the fastest-ever century in the format in just 34 balls. Both Rohit and Miller scored centuries in 35-balls. Malla ended the innings with a 50-ball 137* which included eight fours and 12 sixes at a strike rate of 274.

Dipendra Singh breaks India legend Yuvraj Sing's massive record 

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After skipper Paudel's 27-ball 61, all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee walked out to the middle to break a legendary all-rounder's 16-year-old record. Airee smoked eight sixes and completed his half-century in just nine balls, breaking former India cricketer Yuvraj Sing's 12-ball fifty against England. Yuvraj's iconic innings in the 2007 T20 World Cup included six sixes in an over off pacer Stuart Broad.

Airee remained unbeaten on 52* in just 10 balls - a strike rate of 520, the best ever in a T20I innings. Nepal became the first-ever team to score more than 300 runs in a T20I cricket. The previous highest score was 278/3 against Ireland in 2019 by Afghanistan. Nepal's record-breaking encounter also surpassed the Afghan team for the most sixes in a T20I innings. Afghanistan hit 22 sixes against Ireland while Nepal smashed 26 sixes.

Mongolia was done and dusted after the first innings itself. They were bowled out for just 41 runs and handed another record for their opponents. Nepal won by 273 runs and set the record for the biggest margin of victory in terms of runs in T20I cricket, surpassing the Czech Republic's 257-run win against Turkey in 2019.

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