Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka showcased a powerful century, causing a tough day for Indian bowlers in the Asia Cup. Despite the challenge, Arshdeep Singh excelled in the ‘Super Over,’ securing a win for India on Friday.
India will now compete in the tournament final against Pakistan, having won six consecutive matches.
With Abhishek Sharma’s third half-century of the event, India posted 202 for 5 in 20 overs. Nissanka’s explosive batting brought Sri Lanka close to victory, but they ended on the same score.
Sri Lanka needed 12 runs off the last over from Harshit Rana and three off the final ball. Dasun Shanaka, remaining unbeaten at 22 from 11 balls, could only score two, leading to the Super Over.
In the Super Over, Arshdeep conceded just two
runs and took two wickets in five balls. The target of three runs was easily achieved by skipper Suryakumar Yadav in a single delivery.
During the chase, after Hardik Pandya dismissed Kusal Mendis in the first over, Nissanka (107 off 58 balls) and Perera (58 off 32 balls) launched a strong counter-attack, unsettling the Indian bowlers for the first time in the tournament.
Kuldeep Yadav (1/31 in 4 overs) and Varun Chakravarthy (1/31 in 4 overs) performed decently. However, Harshit Rana (1/54 in 5 overs), Arshdeep Singh (1/46 in 4 overs), and Axar Patel (0/32 in 3 overs) collectively gave away 132 runs in their 11 overs.
Despite this, Harshit and Arshdeep deserve credit for delivering crucial dot balls at critical moments.
Perera and Nissanka’s aggressive batting particularly troubled Arshdeep and the spinners, and Rana was heavily targeted.
Arshdeep and Harshit underperformed in the two matches they have played in the tournament. Harshit, in particular, may struggle to secure a spot in the 15-member squad for the next T20 World Cup unless head coach Gautam Gambhir intervenes.
Harshit’s fitness is questionable, as he seems to struggle from the second over onwards. While he can bowl fast deliveries that skid past the batter, his length often leads to easy runs, particularly between straight and deep mid-wicket.
Nissanka skillfully dispatched deliveries between off and middle stumps, cutting and driving with precision. He hit seven fours and six sixes.
In less than 12 overs, Nissanka and Perera added 128 runs, causing concern for Suryakumar Yadav.
Varun Chakravarthy then forced Perera out of his crease, leading to an easy stumping by Sanju Samson, bringing India back into the game as Charith Asalanka (5) and Kamindu Mendis (3) fell quickly.
Nissanka continued his outstanding performance, completing his century in 52 balls—the first of this edition—by hitting Arshdeep down the ground.
Earlier, Samson gained confidence with a valuable 39 after Abhishek Sharma’s early aggressive play.
India’s score was the highest in the current tournament, surpassing their 188 against Oman and Afghanistan’s same total against Hong Kong.
Abhishek, scoring 61 off 31 balls, played his customary aggressive innings, aided by Samson’s powerful sixes in his 22-ball-innings. Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 49 off 34 balls anchored the innings well.
Abhishek’s batting in the powerplay has been a highlight of the tournament. He completed a hat-trick of half-centuries, though he missed a hundred for the third time, caught at deep mid-wicket off a half-tracker from Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka.
Samson, batting at a new position, found his form, hitting three sixes. The standout shot was a straight hit off Hasaranga’s bowling into the sight-screen. He followed this with another six over cow corner off Dasun Shanaka.
(With PTI Inputs)
