Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya shared his remarks on the side's defeat to India in the Super Over of Asia Cup. The Men in Blue managed to keep their unbeaten streak in the tournament alive by handing a narrow defeat to the Lankan Lions in the Super Over. Jaysuriya wasn't very pleased with the fact that the match went into a Super Over as he wanted it to be finished in normal time.
Notably, Sri Lanka did have the chance to finish off the game in regulated overs as they required three runs on the final delivery. However, Dasun Shanaka didn't go for a third runs despite Axar Patel failing to collect the ball cleanly. It looked like the Sri Lanka was only worried about getting the second run and that is why he put in a dive to complete it.
"I would've preferred to finish games in normal time. No captain or coach wants to go to a Super Over. Unfortunately, Dasun missed completing the third run. But no, there's no mental block against India. Our batting line-up is strong, and we've given them confidence. Chasing 200 (203) is never easy, but we almost did it, which shows the quality we have," Jayasuriya said at the post-match press-conference.
Sri Lanka allowed the momentum to shift
Jayasuriya further stated that though the Sri Lankan batters gave it their all to reach the 203-run target, they allowed the momentum to completely shift towards India after they lost key wickets in the last few overs. After skipper Charith Asalanka was dismissed in the 16th over, Kamindu Mendis ended up losing his wicket in the very next over. Then, with the Lankan Lions requiring 12 from the last over, centurion Pathum Nissanka was dismissed on the first ball by Harshit Rana to get the Men in Blue back into the game.
"When you're chasing 202 (203), you have to keep finding boundaries. Their partnership was the key. The momentum shifted when we started losing wickets. That's natural in a chase because someone has to take risks. Sadly, Pathum got out at the wrong time, and later on, the ball began to turn more. Still, it was a very good game of cricket," Jayasuriya stated.
Sri Lanka's disappointing end to Asia Cup
Meanwhile, the defeat saw Sri Lanka end their Asia Cup campaign with three consecutive defeats in the Super 4 stage. Though they won all of their matches in the group stage, the L ankan Lions' performance deteriorated massively when it mattered the most. Their next assignment will be a three-match ODI series against Pakistan which will commence from November 11. They will then be participating in a T20I tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan that will begin from November 17.