Colombo: Himanshu Rana (51) and Shubam Gill (57) put on 86 runs for the second wicket as India colts defeated Nepal by six wickets and enter the semi-final of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup in Colombo yesterday.

Electing to bat first, Nepal posted a respectable total of 172-9 in 50 overs with Rohit Kumar Paudel (68) providing a late lift.

India lost their opener Prithvi Shaw in the second over but Rana and Gill helped the defending champions reach 174-4 with 16.3 overs to spare. Priyam Garg eased the chase with a 42-ball 36. Pawan Sharraf picked up three wickets for Nepal. India are top of Group A on net run rate as they are tied on six points with Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka too have entered the semi-finals.