6 Talking Points Of The Sri Lanka Cricket VS India Cricket Match In Asian Cup 2022

Sri Lanka cricket won the toss and invited India to bat first at the Dubai International Cricket Ground. Despite the early setback with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli departing early, India cricket was able to steady the ship and score 173/8 in 20 overs.

Sri Lanka cricket was able to complete the run chase in the last over with one ball to spare. It is a complete change of fortunes for Dasun Shanaka's men that were battered and bruised in their opening group game against Afghanistan.

India's fate lies in tomorrow's game between Pakistan and Afghanistan. If the Greens win the game, India and Afghanistan will be going home.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma made one change to the side that lost a nail-biting contest against Pakistan on Sunday. Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin returned to the side, replacing Ravi Bishnoi.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka kept an unchanged side that got the better of Afghanistan in the first Super 4 game.

The Knock On The Door Of Indian Cricket Captain Rohit Sharma

Sharma has had a mixed bag of a tournament so far. After having a few decent starts against Pakistan and Hong Kong, the right-handed batsman finally showed his credentials.

The Indian captain scored 72 runs off 41 balls, with five fours and four sixes. Sharma brought India back into the game after the wickets of Rahul and Kohli by creating a solid partnership with Suryakumar Yadav.

This partnership was worth 97 runs before the Mumbai Indians man was caught by Pathum Nissanka off Chamika Karunaratne's bowling.

India Cricket'S Lower Order Fails Again

Just like it was in the game against Pakistan, India was not able to take advantage of the momentum given by their top batsmen. Hardik Pandya, the hero of the opening game against Pakistan, scored only 17 runs off 13 balls.

Rishabh Pant wasn't able to do anything constructive with the bat either by having a similar scoreline. In the last six overs, India only scored one boundary in their innings and that came off Ashwin's bat in the final over.

India's lower order has been a cause of concern throughout the tournament. They got away with it in the first match against Pakistan courtesy of Pandya's brilliance.

In the Hong Kong game, the lower order had no role to play because of Kohli's and Yadav's match-winning half-centuries.

In their first Super 4 game against Pakistan, they once again were unable to do anything meaningful, which was arguably pivotal in their loss. Now, the lower-order batsmen have once again underperformed.

Are they missing Ravindra Jadeja? The left-handed batsman has been sidelined from the Asia Cup, citing a knee operation. Regardless of the all-rounder's absence, Sharma must find a solution to this problem instantly.

Power Show Of Sri Lankan Cricket Openers

Sri Lanka registered their highest opening stand against India in the T20 format thanks to the brilliance of Nissanka and Kusal Mendis.

At the end of the first powerplay, the five-time Asia Cup champions already had 57 runs on the board without a loss of wicket.

The partnership was broken at 97 when Nissanka tried an unnecessary reverse sweep and got caught by Rohit Sharma off Yuzvendra Chahal's bowling. The right-handed batsman scored 52 runs off 37 balls.

Indian Cricket Spinners Coming Clutch

Indian spinners have been magnificent throughout this Asia Cup so far. In the last game, we saw Bishnoi taking the wicket of Babar Azam. In this game, they were once again on song as they brought the defending champions back into the game.

Chahal got the wickets of Nissanka and Charith Asalanka in the 12th over. Shortly after, Ashwin removed Danushka Gunathilaka to create momentum for Sharma's men.

India was fully in the driver's seat once Chahal got the wicket of Mendis in the following over. With two new batsmen at the crease, it felt like Sri Lanka was set to lose their way after a fantastic opening stand.

The leg-spinner finished with figures of three wickets for 34 runs. On the other hand, Ashwin was pretty economical as well, finishing with the figures of 1 wicket for 32 runs.

Rajapaksa And Shanaka Bring The Team Home

Sri Lanka required 76 runs off 8 overs when Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dasun Shanaka came to the crease. With the lack of experience in these crunch situations, you would expect India to roll the Lankans over.

However, it was the sheer determination of Sri Lanka's lower order that changed the fortunes once again as we have seen throughout this Asia Cup so far. In other words, Sri Lanka's lower order did what India's lower order couldn't.

Rajapaksa scored 25 runs off 17 balls, with two sixes off Ashwin and Chahal. On the other hand, the skipper Shanaka remained cool in the final overs, scoring 33 runs off 18 balls.

Experienced Indian Bowlers Flop At Death

If you look at the bowling standards of Arshdeep Singh and the experienced duo of Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the last few overs, you wouldn't guess who is the more experienced bowler between the three of them.

Sri Lanka required 35 runs off the last three overs, which kept the viewers on the edge of their seats.

The Indian coaching staff would be disappointed looking at the wayward line and length of Pandya and Kumar in the 18th and 19th over respectively.

Pandya conceded a four and a six in his over. On the other hand, Kumar conceded two wides before giving away two boundaries. The 18th and the 19th overs went for 26 runs, leaving Singh to defend only 9 runs in the final over.

To his credit, the left-arm fast bowler did bowl some fantastic overs to keep the match alive until the last few balls. However, Sri Lanka cricket prevailed and now has one foot in the Asia Cup 2022.

Know More About ICC Highlights Related Interest Topic

• 5 Key Players From Indian Cricket Team Must Know In This Asian Cup 2022
• India And Pakistan Should Be Wary Of Afghanistan Cricket Team At Asian Cup 2022
• Afghanistan Cricket Team Beats Bangladesh Cricket Team To Advance To Next Fight In Asian Cup 2022
• Here Are 5 Talking Points Of Pakistan Vs India Asia Cup 2022 Game
• 5 Australia cricket team players to watch out for in 2022 ICC T20 World Cup

---

Continue to take care of the majority of Esball Eu loyal players!

Now! Esball Eu is once again launching the Sign Up free ₹100 Welcome Bonus  and 200% JILI Slot Game Bonus For First Deposit Casino Promotion. 

You can also click to enter the Online Casino Bonus & Promo introduction, which provides more diverse casino bonuses.