In a gripping Asia Cup contest at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Team India bowled brilliantly to defend a modest total, ending Sri Lanka’s impressive 13-match winning streak in ODIs.
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In the low-scoring thriller, India fought back after being dismissed for just 213 runs to defeat Sri Lanka by 41 runs in the fourth match of the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup, securing their place in the final.
Chasing a target of 213 runs was not going to be easy on a challenging pitch that proved tricky for batting. The Lankan innings got off to a shaky start, losing the wicket of Pathum Nissanka in the third over, before two more wickets fell during the Power-play. India’s speedster Jasprit Bumrah claimed two of the three crucial wickets, while Mohammad Siraj claimed the third.
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Charith Asalanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama added 43 runs for the fourth wicket before Kuldeep Yadav entered the scene, dismissing both batsmen in consecutive overs. However, Sri Lanka fought back with an exceptional partnership between Dhananjaya De Silva and Dinuth Wellalage for the seventh wicket. Their 63-run partnership brought Sri Lanka within striking distance of a win, as they needed 44 runs off 55 deliveries.
Dinuth Wellalage displayed unwavering determination as wickets fell at the other end. His gritty innings stood out for Sri Lanka. Earlier, his brilliant five-wicket haul had rattled the Indian batting order.
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Ultimately, it was India’s spinners who turned the tide in their favour. Jadeja took a wicket while Kuldeep sealed the match with two crucial wickets towards the end. Kuldeep’s impressive figures of 4/43 played an important role in India’s victory.
Earlier in the day, India batted first after winning the toss and posted a below-par total of 213 runs on a challenging pitch that posed significant batting difficulties. Rohit Sharma continued his brilliant batting form, smashing his second consecutive half-century in the tournament.
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Meanwhile, KL Rahul too batted well in the middle overs, scoring 39 following his century against Pakistan.
This was the first time that the Sri Lankan spinners bowled out the Indian batting lineup only with spinners. The trio of Dimuth Wellalage (5-40), Charith Asalanka (4-19), and Maheesh Theekshan shared all ten wickets in the Indian innings.
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Wellalage was named the Player of the Match for his exceptional all-round performance. He finished with figures of 5/40 and top-scored for Sri Lanka with 42 runs.
