India captain Suryakumar Yadav was all praise for Arshdeep Singh, who bowled a terrific Super Over to carry the Men in Blue to a nail-biting victory over Sri Lanka in Asia Cup. Though the left-arm pacer ended up being expensive in Sri Lanka's innings and went for 46 runs in his four-over spell, it was in the Super Over where he showcased his brilliance. Arshdeep picked up two wickets in five deliveries as the Lankan Lions only managed to give the Men in Blue a three-run target in the Super Over.
Suryakumar was impressed with how Arshdeep was able to hold his nerve and delivered a fantastic over under pressure. He further remarked that the pacewr executed his plans incredibly well just like he has done in the past for both India and in IPL.
"Arshdeep has been in that situation a lot of time and he has delivered for us. I only told him to back your own plans and not to think about anything. We are already in the finals, but have your own plans and execute it. I have seen him execute his plans, do really well for India and his IPL franchise. His confidence says it all and no one but Arshdeep for that Super Over," Suryakumar said in the post-match presentation.
Meanwhile, the match between India and Sri Lanka turned out to be quite a thriller. Though the game didn't matter much as the Men in Blue had already qualified for the final while the Lankan Lions had gotten eliminated, both teams gave it their in what was a nail-biting encounter.
India's sensational batting display
After being invited to bat first, Suryakumar & Co. went on to post the highest total of the tournament at 202/5. Abhishek Sharma was once again the top performer with his knock of 61 while Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson also contributed well with their innings of 49 and 39 respectively. Axar Patel's unbeaten cameo of 21 helped the Men in Blue in finishing off their innings on a strong note.
Nissanka's fabulous hundred
In reply, despite losing Kusal Mendis in the first over, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera's stunning partnership of 127 runs saw Sri Lanka remain in the game. Nissanka would eventually go on to score a fantastic hundred as the Indian bowlers ended up being quite expensive. The batter would eventually be dismissed for 107 by Harshit Rana in the final over with Sri Lanka 12 runs away from victory. Dasun Shanaka's unbeaten cameo of 22 saw the match end in a tie and get decided in the Super Over.
India bowled first and Arshdeep ended up dismissing Perera on the very first delivery before taking Shanaka's wicket on the fifth delivery. In reply, Suryakumar hit three runs on the first delivery to ensure that the Men in Blue kept their unbeaten streak in the tournament alive. They will now be locking horns against arch-rivals Pakistan in the final that is set to take place on September 28.