India won in the super over.
A super over, when it least mattered! India and Sri Lanka locked horns at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for what was the last game of the Super 4s. Though the match had literally everything to offer, the result was not quite going to matter for any of the two teams. India were through to the Final of the Asia Cup 2025 after winning their last game against Bangladesh. On the other hand, a win was never going to matter for the Sri Lankans.
Charith Asalanka won the toss and chose to put the Indians in to bat first. Shubman Gill fell to a fantastic catch from Maheesh Theekshana off the latter’s own bowling. India took the first two overs to get off the hook, something that they aren’t quite used to doing. Nuwan Thushara bowled some good deliveries swinging in to aim for the pads of Abhishek Sharma. With vice-captain Gill finding his way back to the pavilion, skipper Suryakumar Yadav walked in at No.3. But he wasn’t able to find his footing in this game as well.
What kept India going was their ability to not slow down despite the loss of two wickets. Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson both ensured that the score kept ticking after the dismissal of Abhishek. The duo played Sri Lanka’s spinners really well, and attacked deliveries which deserved to be hit. On the back of a brilliant 61 and an unbeaten 49 from Abhishek and Tilak respectively, India got to an above-par 202/5 in 20 overs.
Sri Lanka lost Kusal Mendis on the very first ball he faced, but a blazing partnership between Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka took them to the brink of victory. For most of the second innings, the Lankans looked in supreme control, and did not give the Indians even an inch. However, after Perera fell, wickets started tumbling from the other end. And when Nissanka got out in the last over, Dasun Shanaka couldn’t take the team over the line. This led to a dramatic super over, which India managed to clinch.
It has become a habit now. For every India game, Abhishek Sharma walks out, whacks the bowlers and propels India to a fiery start. It is one of the best routines an opening batter can have. In six outings for the Blues in the tournament, Abhishek has scored 309 runs at a staggering average of 51.50. More than the runs, the nature in which he gets those runs is impressive. The youngster is making his presence felt in the Indian line-up, and has cemented his place.
In the innings against Sri Lanka, the Indian left-handed opener scored a blistering 61 off just 31 deliveries. After his exploits in the last two matches, he would be disappointed not to get to the three-figure mark. The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener threw his wicket away after a sumptuous knock against arch-rivals Pakistan as well.
To add to that, the Indian opener strikes at a massive 204.63, which is tremendous in the shortest format. Moreover, Abhishek has a fearless approach to his batting. The management will have to be equally credited for his success for letting him express himself freely. It would be important for the team to realize that the 25-year-old will not fire in every single game. But as long as he does, there is absolutely no problem for the Blues.
Hardik Pandya got rid of Kusal Mendis in the very first over of the innings. With a target of 203 runs in front of the Lankans, the job seemed quite steep at that moment. However, what followed will go down as one of the best partnerships for Sri Lanka in T20I cricket. Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka went on to stitch a 127-run partnership to take Sri Lanka to the brink of victory.
Despite an early wicket, they never let the run-rate slow down. Perera ended up with a score of 58 off just 32 deliveries. But once Nissanka got going from the other end, there was no stopping the Sri Lankan. He brought up his 100 in just 52 deliveries. Nissanka played a chanceless innings, and never let the Indians into the game.
Nissanka displayed clean hitting skills and troubled every Indian bowler. The right-handed opener went on to score a mammoth 107 runs off just 58 deliveries, and was dismissed in the last over.
After the Men in Blue posted 202/5, not many could have imagined the Sri Lankans getting to the total. The same team which could gather only 133-odd runs in their last game against the Pakistanis got off to a rather miserable start. But after the first two overs, the Indian bowlers were nowhere to be seen. Every bowler was taken to the cleaners and the might of Nissanka stood tall.
Having said that, it leaves the Indians with a very important question. The management will have to re-think their plans before going into the big Final on Sunday. Moreover, the Indian bowling attack looks quite ordinary without the services of Jasprit Bumrah. There seems to be no application from the likes of Arshdeep Singh in the death overs, who was taken for more than 40 in his quota of four overs.
If the Pakistani batting clicks on Sunday, it could be a dilemma for this Indian bowling setup. Harshit Rana, who hasn’t been a regular feature in this tournament went for more than 50 runs in his four overs. He is likely to be replaced by Bumrah for the next match. But the depth in the Indian bowling looks to be shallow, and this must concern Suryakumar Yadav & Co. A good 19th over from Arshdeep Singh got the Indians to negotiate with a super over. But this performance should concern India.
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Sri Lanka batted first in the super over, which was full of drama. Arshdeep Singh was the bowler and he wrecked the Lankans on his first delivery. Arshdeep sent Kusal Perera back into the pavilion. Sri Lanka were only able to score two runs and lost both their wickets in five deliveries.
Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill walked in to bat with a target of three runs, with Wanindu Hasaranga with the ball in hand. All it took for the Men in Blue was a single delivery. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav hit the ball to the covers region, as the batting pair ran three.
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