This edition of the Asia Cup has produced enthralling contests between the Asian giants. Teams are fighting hard in Super Four to qualify for the final. Dubai International Stadium will host the final of Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday. Most of the games were cliffhangers that did go to the last overs. When the tournament initiated. India was one of the favorites to win the Asia Cup 2022. However, as the tournament did progress, things are not looking favorable for India. Sri Lanka has turned out to be a surprise package for one of the toughest T20 sides. The ecstasy began in the Sri Lankan dressing room when Lions found a spectacular victory in Sri Lanka vs India Asia Cup 2022 contest. We know that Sri Lanka is going through an economic crisis. But this kind of win lifts the mood of the nation.
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The Toss Factor
In the T20 World Cup 2021, we saw toss winning teams are having an advantage in the Dubai International Stadium. The teams opt to bowl first in Dubai encounter. They are prepared for anything in the second innings. In all three India, vs Pakistan T20 International contests that happened at Dubai stadium thus far, the team which won the toss won the game. Similarly, Sri Lanka won the toss against India and restricted India to 173 runs. Does the toss matter on this level?
If we take a look at the level of competition in Asia Cup 2022, the matches did go to the last overs. Only the difference of some runs made the team batting first facing defeat in the game. So there should be no less credit given to Sri Lanka for winning against India in Dubai. Yeah, the toss is significant but the blunders the Indian side made in Sri Lanka vs India Asia Cup 2022 made it lose the game.
What Went Wrong For India?
India was able to put a total of 173 runs against Sri Lanka on the board. When Sri Lankan bowlers sent 2 main batsmen of India to the pavilion in the powerplay overs, it was difficult for India to put a respectable total on the board. Especially the terrific delivery by Dilshan Madushanka to Virat Kohli which sent the batting marvel to the pavilion on 0 troubled India tremendously. India made a recovery in the game, courtesy of the impressive partnership between Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma. However, the problem of losing wickets in the critical phase of the match continues for India. When things looked all set for India in reaching the 190-run total, Rohit Sharma gave the catch straight to the fielder.
After the departure of Rohit Sharma, Yadav did not provide any significant contribution to the crease. The destructive and hard-hitting trio of India Risabh Pant, Deepak Hooda and Hardik Pandya did not fire in the death overs against the Sri Lankan bowlers. Hence the total which was cruising towards 190 at one time, was restricted to 173 runs. The story was pretty similar to the show against Pakistan when India was 20 runs short after taking a wonderful start.
Sri Lanka vs India Asia Cup 2022: Unbelievable Chase
Man, oh, man! What a wonderful chase that was. The key was the intent shown by the Sri Lankan batters on the crease. There was not even an ounce of pressure evidence on the faces of Sri Lankan openers. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis took Indian bowlers to the cleaners in the powerplay overs. Undoubtedly, the fearless shots in the gaps were a delight to watch. It appeared as if Sri Lanka was scoring at enough rate to take the victory in Sri Lanka vs India Asia Cup 2022 contest.
However, the wicket from Yuzvendra Chahal provided some hope to the Indian dugout. Still, Sri Lanka was in a commanding position but another wicket by Chahal put India in the driving seat. Sri Lanka started losing control in the second innings. Four Sri Lankan wickets fell in the span of only 13 runs. Was there a twist in the tale? The hard-hitting batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa announced his arrival with an unbelievably lofted shot for a six. Sri Lanka was back.
The Classic Duo: Rajapaksa and Shanaka
On the other end of the crease, Dasun Shanaka was batting. He is the batting marvel who guided his country to a wonderful win when Sri Lanka required 59 runs off 18 balls in a T20 International contest. The knock of Shanaka was a perfect example of the captain leading his troops from the front. Finally, Sri Lanka required 21 runs off 12 balls to win the contest against India in Asia Cup 2022. Bhuveneshwar got the ball in hand. Was he going to remove the stains from the earlier encounter against Pakistan in the Super Four contest.? The penultimate over. Kumar had the ball in hand. The Asia Cup 2022 qualification was hanging by thread for the men in blue. What was going to happen?
Two consecutive fours against Kumar. Different day. Different story. That day it was Asif. This time it was Rajapaksa. The equation became easier for Sri Lanka in the last over. Arshdeep again bowled terrifically in the last over against the set Sri Lankan batsmen. Now 2 runs off 2 balls were required. Arshdeep delivered a fireball and Sri Lankan batsmen failed to make any connection. Pant made an attempt to run out the batsman. He missed the stumps. Arshdeep attempted to run out the batsman. He failed to hit the stumps. Overthrow runs. Sad faces in the Indian dressing room. Sri Lanka defeated India by 6 wickets in the mouth watering game of cricket.
Sri Lanka vs India Asia Cup 2022: Surprise Package
We were expecting India vs Pakistan final in the Asia Cup 2022. Sri Lanka came as a surprise package in the story. India is not yet eliminated from the Asia Cup 2022 but the chances are pretty dim. India needs Pakistan to lose both games to have any chance of qualifying for the final. Moreover, victory vs Afghanistan is the great margin required. Which teams have the highest number of chances of playing the final game on September 11 at Dubai International Stadium? You could go to the best online cricket sportsbook sites in the UK to find out the numbers.
