IND vs SL, Asia Cup 2023 final: How Sri Lanka can trouble India on Sunday

The 16th edition of the Asia Cup has boiled down to its final game, with defending champions Sri Lanka facing India in the summit clash in Colombo on Sunday.

This year’s edition has been among the most competitive in the history of the tournament with Sri Lanka, the nation that’s hosting a majority of the games in the ‘Hybrid Model’, involved in more nail-biters than any other team.

The Dasun Shanaka-led side began their campaign with a tense victory over Bangladesh and were nearly knocked out by a resurgent Afghanistan in their next outing. They would make it two wins in as many games against Bangladesh in the Super Fours and would go down fighting against India, before sealing their qualification with a thrilling two-wicket victory over Pakistan.

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India, meanwhile, were the standout team for the most part in this tournament and had an undefeated run up until their Super Four clash against Bangladesh on Friday. After their Group A game against Pakistan ended in a washout, they handed Nepal a 10-wicket thrashing in a rain-affected game.

They would then proceed to completely outplay Pakistan in their Super Four encounter, handing them a 228-run hiding to cement their status as firm title favourites, before sealing their place in the final with a 41-run win against Sri Lanka.

Despite resting several key players for the final Super Four game against Bangladesh, a narrow six-run loss against the Tigers would have come as a wake-up call for the Men in Blue ahead of the final as well as the ICC World Cup, which they host in October and November.

Ahead of Sunday’s big final at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium, we take a look at some of the way with which the Sri Lankans, who like India are a regular as far as Asia Cup finals are concerned, can trouble the Men in Blue on Sunday:

Spin for the win

Indian batters have been having it quite tough against spinners in their last two outings, and expect the Sri Lankans to keep that in mind and exploit that loophole come Sunday.

It was the spin trio of Dunith Wellalage (5/40), Charith Asalanka (4/18) and Maheesh Theekshana (1/41) who had accounted for all 10 Indian wickets in the Super Four fixture on Friday. The pitch used for that game was vastly different from the one on which the Men in Blue had smashed 356 against Pakistan.

After an explosive start against the pacers, the Indian batters simply failed to get going against Wellalage, who not only broke the opening stand but broke the backbone of Indian batting by running through the Indian top five.

Asalanka then continued from where Wellalage left off, running through the lower-middle-order and tail, while Theekshana grabbed the final wicket after India had managed to cross the 200-mark.

Should the two sides end up playing on the same strip on Sunday, the defending champions will once again be pinning their hopes on the spin department to keep the Indian batting department quiet.

Firepower at the top

Only two batters have scored more than 250 runs in the ongoing tournament — Shubman Gill (275) and Kusal Mendis (253). Gill only overtook Mendis as the leading run-scorer after his magnificent 121 against Bangladesh on Friday that ultimately went in vain.

Wicketkeeper-batter Mendis has been among Sri Lanka’s standout performers in their run to a second consecutive Asia Cup final with three half-centuries, including a couple of 90s, and will be a major threat for the Indians heading into the final.

Mendis had got off to a promising start against India on Tuesday before getting deceived by a slower delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, but would bounce back in the virtual semi-final against Pakistan with an 87-ball 91 that helped the Sri Lankans recover from a shaky start in the rain-marred run chase.

And though he hasn’t been at his best touch with the bat in the ongoing tournament, India will also be wary of the danger that opener Pathum Nissanka poses. Nissanka is due a big knock and he’ll be hoping he’s able to deliver it in the game that matters.

A solid middle-order

The one department that has come to Sri Lanka’s rescue more often than not in recent fixtures has been their middle-order comprising the likes of Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva and skipper Dasun Shanaka.

And after his little cameo on Tuesday that gave the Indians a mighty scare, Wellalage might also be considered an extension of that rock-solid middle order.

It was Samarawickrama and Asalanka’s resilient half-centuries that helped Sri Lanka recover from 43/3 after being set 165 to win, and go on to chase down the target with 11 overs to spare. Dhananjaya and Wellalage would then stitch a 63-run seventh-wicket stand during their chase of 214 against India after the Sri Lankans were reduced to 99/6, bringing them back into the contest for a bit before losing their remaining wickets in a heap.

And on Thursday, it was Asalanka who held his nerve to get his team over the line after the Lankans threw away a strong start and lost wickets in a heap to nearly bring their title defence to an end. Asalanka maintained a cool head when six runs were needed off the last two deliveries, and took Sri Lanka to the final with a boundary and a double off Zaman Khan.

Sri Lanka’s middle order against the Indian spinners is one battle in Sunday’s final that could have a major impact on the outcome of the contest.