India, Feb. 9 -- After a sea of blue on Saturday evening, Wankhede wore a different, and unlikely, outfit the next night. On India's home soil, the iconic Mumbai venue got a taste of Nepal's remarkable fan base. Clad in red and blue, some even donning the traditional dhaka topi, Nepalese supporters rallied behind their team with heart and voice, even as the contest appeared a mismatch. "They sound even noisier than yesterday," observed one of the commentators.

Pitted against the 2022 champions, the imbalance looked evident on paper after half-centuries from captain Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell powered England to 184 for 7, a total seemingly beyond Nepal's modest batting resources. But it took just 12 deliveries for that assumption to be...