India have made it to the final of the Asia Cup 2023 in a comfortable fashion, with just one loss in their five matches in the tournament. Playing in Sri Lanka this time around has proven to be a tedious task for the Men in Blue because of the rains, but they have nonetheless risen above the rest to prove themselves contenders for an eighth title.
They have been hit with an injury to Axar Patel ahead of the all-important final against Sri Lanka, but the members of Team India will not let anything take away their chance of boosting their confidence with a major trophy under their belt heading into the ODI World Cup 2023.
Looking back, we recap India's road to the Asia Cup 2023 Final in their last five matches.
September 2: India vs Pakistan, no result
India's first match of the tournament was against their arch-rivals Pakistan, but the match was hit by rains which prevented the second innings from taking place. Pakistan needed 266 runs for the win after their pace attack decimated the top order of India. However, the batting side had the final say with a brilliant partnership between Ishan Kishan (82) and Hardik Pandya (87), with their 138-run partnership off 141 balls saving Team India the blushes.
September 4: India vs Nepal, India win by 10 wickets
In complete domination to close out Group A, India first dismissed their opponents for 230 runs, and then chased down the reduced target of 145 in 20.1 overs, courtesy of a brilliant opening wicket partnership between skipper Rohit Sharma (74) and Shubman Gill (67).
September 10/11: India vs Pakistan, India win by 228 runs
This match was highly anticipated because the first clash between the two sides was washed out by rain. So much so that the match had a reserve day because of the weather forecast of rain. As expected, the match was moved to the reserve day but not before a brilliant 121-run partnership between openers Rohit Sharma (56) and Shubman Gill (58).
On the reserve day, Virat Kohli (122*) and KL Rahul (111*) ran the show with their unbeaten partnership of 233 runs. They took India to a highly impressive 356/2, while Pakistan were hit by injuries. Kuldeep Yadav was the lethal one with the ball, with his 5/25 decimating the Pakistan batters. They were bundled out for a mere 128 runs.
September 12: India vs Sri Lanka, India win by 41 runs
Although the show was run by young Sri Lankan spinner Dunith Wellalage, India stole the victory and booked a place in the final of the mega event. He took five wickets in just his 13th ODI, getting four of India's top five batters. However, a fightback in the lower order from Axar Patel took India to 213 runs.
Kuldeep shone once again, taking four of the Sri Lankan wickets as the side were bundled for 172 runs. It was enough to take India to the next level of the competition.
September 15, India vs Bangladesh, Bangladesh win by six runs
A much-changed team faced Bangladesh in India's final match of the Super Fours, but they failed to impress, leaving many to question India's depth in the absence of their star players. The bowlers failed in the middle order as Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan took the game away from India. His 80, coupled with Towhid Hridoy's 54 and Nasum Ahmed's 44, took Bangladesh to 265.
The batters were bundled out for 259 runs with only Shubman Gill's 121 making a dent in Bangladesh's score. Despite the loss, Gill's century will be a massive boost for the young batter.
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