UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: India’s performance at the Asia Cup 2022 on Tuesday was yet another letdown as they lost to Sri Lanka in the Super 4 and were on the verge of being eliminated from the regional competition.
With one ball remaining, the islanders successfully chased down 174, negating India’s captain Rohit Sharma’s outstanding 41-ball 72.
When Sri Lanka needed 21 runs in 12 balls, they scored 14 runs off the penultimate over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, almost winning it for them. India will not be eligible if Pakistan defeats Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan said that Arshdeep Singh should have bowled the 19th over of the match. The young left-arm bowler bowled Sri Lanka’s final over, which required seven runs.
“There is no dew on the ground if you look down. It was quite easy to bowl. The spinners also received a small amount of assistance. The spinners were responsible for all of the lost wickets. The ball was at least somewhat stable. Fast bowlers failed to claim a wicket. I believe that Rohit Sharma made a couple of mistakes: Deepak Hooda did not bowl, and then Arshdeep ought to have bowled the 19th over because the left-arm bowler’s angles caused the ball to travel away nicely. There was so much potential for improvement. I didn’t just say that after the game; I also said it during commentary,” Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports.
“These two actions both had room for improvement. In the first ten overs, one would certainly anticipate better bowling from Team India.”
Sri Lanka’s innnings
The Sri Lankans got off to a fast start as they chased what appeared to be a par total at the innings break, with openers Kusal Mendis (57 off 37 balls) and Pathum Nissanka (52 off 37 balls) putting on 91 runs at a quick clip.
The fifty was reached in the sixth over thanks to both batsmen’ consistent and effortless hitting of the gaps and boundaries, which put a lot of pressure on the Indian bowling attack, which struggled to adjust to the two Lankan hitters’ optimistic batting style.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who struck twice in the 12th over to halt Sri Lanka’s advance, had other ideas.
Danushka Gunathilaka (1) was returned by Ravichandran Ashwin, leaving Sri Lanka in trouble at 110 for three in the 14th over.
When Mendis was caught lbw in front of the wicket with the first ball of the following over, Chahal took Sri Lanka’s major wicket.
However, Sri Lanka’s captain Dasun Shanaka (33 not out) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25 not out) persevered until the end, winning the match with a 64-run fifth-wicket stand.
Sri Lanka 174 for 4 (Mendis 57, Nissanka 52, Chahal 3-34) beat India 173 for 8 (Rohit 72, Madushanka 3-24) by six wickets.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: India vs Sri Lanka Match Preview
