Dipendra Singh Airee and Sompal Kami’s 54-run partnership for the seventh wicket saw Nepal reach 133/8 against the West Indies at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.

Having been invited to bat by the two-time T20 World Cup champions, the Rhinos struggled for runs throughout the inning.

From losing opener Kushal Bhurtel (1 off 3) in the very first over as he was bamboozled by Akeal Hosein, Nepal lost two more wickets by the end of the powerplay.

Skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel was struck leg before by Matthew Forde in the first ball of the fourth over. Paudel (5 off 7) took the review, but it did not go in his favour. Aasif Sheikh (11 off 10) was the third wicket to fall as he was caught out on the first ball of the fifth over. By the end of the powerplay, Nepal were 22/3.

Nepal needed a partnership to get a hold of the game. However, wickets kept on falling. By the end of 15 overs, the Rhinos were 73/6 as Aarif Sheikh (2 off 8), Lokesh Bam (13 off 15) and Gulshan Kumar Jha (11 off 14) fell victim to Holder, Shamar Joseph and Roston Chase, respectively.

Meanwhile, a turning point came for the Rhinos when Dipendra Singh Airee got good support from Sompal Kami.

The duo was able to get nine runs in the 16th over and 10 runs in the 17th. There were three successive fours by Kami in the 18th over by Holder to see the team cross the 100-run mark.

Airee hit two sixes in the 19th over by Joseph that saw him complete his half-century. Airee departed at 58 off 47, while Kami stayed not out at 26 off 15 as Nepal posted 133/8 by the end of 20 overs.