- Mar 4, 2024
- Sep 27, 2023
Sri Lanka defeated India by 6 wickets yesterday in a Super 4 tie at the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai. The victory has taken the island nation closer to the Asia Cup finale. India, on the other hand, is all but out of the tournament. However, they can only qualify if they defeat Afghanistan in the next fixture while Pakistan loses their remaining two.
In pursuit of a 174-run target, Sri Lanka was cruising away with the match because of vital half-centuries from Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis before Yuzvendra Chahal kept the runs in check and stemmed their scoring rate. Breaking the 97-run opening stand, Chahal first dismissed Pathum Nissanka and backed it up with the wicket of Charith Asalanka right after to put Sri Lanka in a spot of bother.
Chahal returned again to send back the dangerman Kusal Mendis to the pavilion and brought India back into the game. The exceptional performance earned Chahal a special gesture from Virat Kohli, who walked up to Chahal and kissed his forehead after the fall of Mendis.
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it is to be noted that Kohli and Chahal shared a close relationship with each other at the Bangalore franchise in the Indian T20 League and later on when they played together for India.
While Chahal’s brilliance brought India back into the game, a solid partnership between Lankan skipper Dasun Shanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa rocketed Sri Lanka on their way to victory. The right-left combination added 64 runs for the 5th wicket and took their side past the Indian target with a ball to spare. Sri Lanka chased the target of 171 with ease.
With the victory, Sri Lanka has now sealed their spot in the Asia Cup final whereas India’s chances of appearing in the tournament finals are now all but over. India will square off against Afghanistan on Thursday, September 8th, whereas Sri Lanka has their next game against Pakistan on Friday on their way to the grand finale of Asia Cup 2022.