India defeated Sri Lanka to reach the final of the Asia Cup 2023. Despite setting up an easy target of 214 runs, Team India won by dint of Kuldeep Yadav’s controlled bowling. They bowled out the hosts for 172 runs.
India managed to win the game by 41 runs. Kuldeep took 4 wickets for 43 runs for India in this match. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja got 2 wickets each. Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya got one wicket each for the Men in Blues.
All-rounder Dunith Wellalage could not give victory to Sri Lanka even fighting alone in this match. After taking 5 wickets for 40 runs with the ball, he collected 42 runs with the bat. Wellalage survived for a long but no one could give him proper company. As a result, Sri Lanka were all out for 172 runs.
Dhananjaya de Silva and Wellalage formed a formidable partnership as the Sri Lankan batsmen were overpowered one by one by the Indian bowlers in the run chase. The Lankans were also hoping to win the match with this pair. The two made a partnership of 63 runs from the wicket. That pair was broken by a wrong shot by Dhananjaya, he got out giving away the ball in Gill’s hand off Jadeja’s ball. The all-rounder scored 41 runs off 66 balls.
After that, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, and Matheesha Pathirana came to the crease and left immediately, their defeat was confirmed as a result of that. Charith Asalanka scored 22, Sadeera Samarawickrama scored 17 and Kusal Mendis scored 15 runs for the Lankans. None of the others could even cross the 10-run mark.
Earlier, India won the toss and elected to bat first at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The Indian batsmen who had tamed Pakistan’s strong pace bowling unit earlier in the day were also looking strong today. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill entered the field as an opening pair and picked up 80 runs in 11 overs. The next story, however, is only about Wellalage.
He struck for the first time in the 12th over. Gill, who scored 19 off 25 balls, lost off-stump on the spin of the Lankan spinner. Standing at the other end, Rohit, however, picked up the 51st fifty of his career. But Virat Kohli, the centurion of the previous match, could not accompany him. A short-length ball from Wellalage was played to the square leg and failed to connect the ball properly with the bat. He was caught at short mid-wicket. His innings ended with just 3 runs off 12 balls.
In the 16th over, Wellalage bowled Rohit coming again on the attack. Indian captain’s innings stopped at 53 runs in 48 balls, he hit 7 fours and 2 sixes. In just 6 overs, Wellalage brought the Lankans back into the fight by showing India’s top order the way to the dressing room. KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan tried to keep the team score floating under pressure.
Wellalage broke their 63-run partnership in the 30th over. Rahul, the unbeaten champion of the previous match, returned with 39 runs off 44 balls. Asalanka sent back Ishan in the 35th over. Ishan was caught by Wellalage while picking the ball up at short extra cover. 33 runs from 61 balls came from his bat.
Coming into the attack again in the next over, Hardik was shown the way to the pavilion by Wellalage. And that’s when the 20-year-old youngster met Fifer for the first time in his 13th ODI. Asalanka picked up from the spot where Wellalage left off. Jadeja, Bumrah, and Kuldeep have been lost by his spin magic.
India lost 9 wickets within 186 runs. The team that scored 356 runs after losing only 2 wickets in the previous match, was feared to be all out before scoring 200 runs that day. But Axar Patel and Siraj overcame that apprehension. Axar was the victim of Theekshana on the first ball of the 50th over after scoring 26 runs off 36 balls. As a result, India’s innings stopped at 213 runs after losing all the wickets.
India – 213/10 (49.1)
Sri Lanka – 172/10 (41.3)
Result – India won by 41 runs
Player of the match – Dunith Wellalage
Dunith Wellalage
India vs Sri Lanka Playing Xis
India | Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (wk), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah. |
Sri Lanka | Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis (wk), Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dunith Wellalage, Charith Asalanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, and Kasun Rajitha. |
Relive the thrill of the 2023 Asia Cup, where India defeated Sri Lanka to win in dominating victory.
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