The No.1 team in the T20 ranking couldn’t defend the target against the opposition. Sri Lanka has done it again, and India came under their radar this time.
Yes! Indian cricket team had to face another big loss in the Super 4 stage and with that, they are almost knocked out of the Asia Cup.
The way Sri Lankan batsmen played against Indian bowlers, it looked like they are newbies in cricket because the openers were hitting hard every ball and making runs on each ball.
Indian bowlers couldn’t hold them back, they were demolished by Sri Lankan batsmen and no one could do anything about it.
Sri Lanka outnumbered Indian bowlers
Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bowl first. At that time, people started predicting that Sri Lanka got the match and it was done. Indian openers started with a bang, but KL Rahul couldn’t stay longer and got out in just 6 runs.
Virat Kohli came and was unexpectedly clean bowled by Dilshan Madushanka. Virat Kohli went to the pavilion in duck and the whole stadium went silent.
Rohit Sharma took the charge and led his side to a better score. He scored 72 runs and went to the pavilion. Then the rest of the players managed to set the target of 174 for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis played very calmly. Played every bowler in their way and scored insanely. Kusal had a great time hitting boundaries against Bhuvneshvar Kumar.
Chahal changed the dynamic of the game with his three wickets in a crucial situation. But the skipper Dasun and Rajapaksa led Sri Lanka to the victory.
Indian side lost two matches of the Super 4 and first Pakistan had beaten them brutally. In both situations, Indian bowlers couldn’t defend the target.
Sri Lanka took their form when they took revenge against Bangladesh after beating them in a nail-biting match and knocked them out of the tournament.
Dasun Shanaka on team’s victory
The skipper also became the player of the match for his marvelous innings in the tense situation. ‘The confidence in the dressing room is great. The bowlers in patches bowled well. Credit to Dilshan, and Theekshana, they bowled really well. The batters came out against them, but we did well.
We had good discussions after the first game, and we know what we can do. Pathum and Kusal set the tone brilliantly, and Rajapaksa and I set up the chase. [On him not bowling much] It’s due to the team combination, so I haven’t been bowling my quota. I need to take the best decision the team needs.’
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma surely had a hard time digesting another big defeat as they began the tournament with a great start. “We ended up on the wrong side, just as simple as that. The kind of runs we got, we could have capitalised a bit more. We were 10-15 runs short.
The guys out in the middle need to learn what they need to do and what kind of shot-making can happen, This team was on a good run for a long time, such losses will help us better to learn as a team. It was a good effort with the ball, considering the start they got. The spinners came out and bowled quite aggressively. In the end, SL held their nerves quite well. [Three seamers?]
We thought with the bigger boundary, you can use the spin well. Their right-handers batted for longer periods of time. I was thinking of bringing Hooda but it did not work out the way we thought. Avesh has not pulled up that well. He didn’t turn up well. He was quite sick. Ideally, when we start touring, we would like four seamers. But you also try with three. Come to the WC I want to be ready with all answers.”
Can India reach the final?
Not obviously, if Pakistan loses their remaining matches and they beat Afghanistan with a big margin then it might be a chance for them to reach the final.
Today, Pakistan will be facing Afghanistan and if Pakistan wins the match they successfully qualify for the finals of the Asia Cup. Sri Lanka already won two important matches in Super 4, Sri Lanka chased a great target against Afghanistan and secured the top position in the table.
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