In a game that ebbed and flowed from one corner to another, literally swung like a pendulum, Sri Lanka held their nerve and registered an emphatic six-wicket win with just a solitary ball to spare against India in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2022 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. Captain Dasun Shanaka (33 not out off 18 balls) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25 runs off 17 balls) combined for an unbeaten match-winning stand of 64 runs for fifth wicket, which has all but knocked India out of the tournament.
Chasing a tricky target of 174 runs, the Lankan Lions got off to a stunning start, which put India on the backfoot straightaway. Openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis pounced on lackluster bowling by Indian bowlers. The two stylish right-handers stuck to conventional shots and reaped huge rewards, especially in the powerplay. The Lankan openers smashed 57 runs during the filed restrictions and continued their assault even after the powerplay was over. At 97/0 after 11 overs, it all looked doom and gloom for the Men in Blue.
But just when Sri Lanka looked in complete control and were running away with the game, Yuzvendra Chahal weaved his magic and dragged India back into the contest. The leg-spinner broke the 97-run opening stand by dismissing Nissanka (52 runs off 37 balls) on the first ball of 12th over. Three balls later, Chahal struck again, this time dismissing Charith Asalanka for a three-ball duck.
The double strike from Chahal arrested Sri Lanka's run rate and opened the game for India. Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Ganushka Gunathilaka (1 run off 7 balls) penultimate ball of the 14th over and two balls later, Chahal struck once again by sending Mendis (57 runs off 37 balls) back to the hut. From 97/0 to 110/4, the match turned on its head in the span of three overs.
With pressure mounting, captain Shanaka and Rajapaksa started the rebuild and ultimately batted the Men in Blue out of the contest, and probably out of the tournament as well. The duo exhibited impeccable composure and took the game deep by collecting boundaries and keeping the required run rate in check. With 21 runs required from the last two overs, Bhuvneshwar Kumar once again leaked 14 runs in the penultimate over as Shanaka smoked back-to-back boundaries to ease pressure off of Sri Lanka.
Arshdeep Singh was once again tasked to defend seven runs in the last over and the left-arm seamer bowled his heart out. But it was just not India's day and with one ball to spare, the Lankan Lions crossed the finish line.
Chahal (3/34) was the pick of all Indian bowlers while Ashwin 1/32 was the only other Indian bowler who was among the wickets.
Earlier, Skipper Rohit Sharma rolled back the clock and played a scintillating knock of 72 runs in 41 balls and broke several records during his action-packed stay at the crease. After India lost two early wickets, the Hitman counter-attacked along with Suryakumar Yadav. The two Mumbai Indians' mainstays registered a 97-run stand for the third wicket and laid a perfect platform for the power-hitters like Hardik Pandya (17 runs off 13 balls) and Rishabh Pant (17 runs off 13 balls) to ensure a grand-stand finish.
The Indian captain powered five fours and four sixes during his captivating knock, which saw him overhaul legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar's record of scoring the most runs for India in the Asia Cup. The Hitman now has 1,016 runs in the continental tournament.
Suryakumar Yadav (34 off 29 balls) played second fiddle to his skipper and proved a worthy ally. However, once Rohit was caught by Pathum Nissanka off Chamika Karunaratne's bowling, the Men in Blue's innings fell off the tracks. From 110/3, India could only manage to add 63 runs in the last 46 balls of the innings. Pandya and Pant failed to deceive with the bat while Deepak Hooda could only score three runs off four balls.
If not for a brief cameo from Ravichandran Ashwin (15 runs off seven balls), India would have struggled to breach the 170-run mark. But the veteran right-hander's brisk knock pushed India's total to 173/8 in 20 overs.
Sri Lanka got off to a dream start with the new ball as they removed opener KL Rahul (6) and maverick batter Virat Kohli (0) in quick succession, leaving India tottering at 13/2 in the third over.
Off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana's arm ball in the second over of the game ended Rahul's knock while left-arm fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka rocked Kohli's woodwork, who went for a massive slog on the leg-side.
Madushanka was the pick of all Lankan bowlers as he finished with figures of 3/23 in four overs while Karunaratne 2/27 and Shanaka 2/26 bowled exceedingly well.
With the loss, India have one foot out of the competition. Any chance of making the final now depends on other results. For India to make the Asia Cup 2022 final, Sri Lanka will have to beat Pakistan, Afghanistan needs to beat Pakistan and then India will have to beat Afghanistan by a colossal margin. Still, that might not be enough as it will boil down to the Net Run Rate (NRR).
