India take on Sri Lanka in their final Super Four match of the ongoing Asia Cup at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday, September 26. India have been unbeaten so far in this tournament and already have a foothold in the final, which will be played on September 28. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are yet to get going in this phase of the tourney, having lost both the matches they have played so far, against Bangladesh and Pakistan. A lot was expected from Sri Lanka, given their dominance in the group stage of the tournament.
The Lankans entered the Super Four phase unbeaten, having won three matches in a row in the group stage, defeating Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong convincingly. However, they hit a stumbling block at this stage and suffered consecutive defeats from Bangladesh and Pakistan. They are now knocked out of the tournament and harbour no hopes whatsoever for making it to the final. The second place in the final will now be decided by a direct shoot-out between Pakistan and Bangladesh; the winner of this encounter will face India on Sunday.
Sri Lanka's issues have been compounded by their batters not getting off to good starts within the powerplay. Their players have not been clinical overall, with their spinners also struggling to find their rhythm on the slow, dusty pitches in the United Arab Emirates. While senior leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has impressed in patches, the Lankan side, as a whole, have struggled after coming into the Super Fours. This must also have a lot to do with pressure, with Charith Asalanka's men unable to come to grips with the necessities of performing with precision in such high-stakes encounters.
Predicted Teams
IND: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
SL: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (c), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara.
Key Players
Tilak Varma (IND): Middle-order batter Tilak Varma is among the most promising young cricketers from India. The Hyderabad player is known for his clean-hitting abilities against spinners as well as his willingness to take on all bowlers in crucial stages of the game. What makes Varma extremely pleasing to the eye is the fact that he offers the full face of his bat on most occasions and does not deviate from his game plan to play silly strokes.
Wanindu Hasaranga (SL): Wanindu Hasaranga has been one of the standout performers in the Sri Lankan bowling unit in this tournament. He already has seven wickets to his name and is known to fox opposition batters with his variations. The leg-spinner knows the Indian team well by virtue of playing against many of them in the Indian Premier League, and will use all his experience to come up trumps on Friday. Hasaranga's wrong ones and flippers are almost as good as his regular leg breaks.
Match Prediction
Sri Lanka have just not been able to get going in the Super Four phase tournament, and we expect India to steamroll them in this fixture. The Lankan Lions have also struggled to get their combinations right. The Men in Blue, on the other hand, will experiment somewhat with their side, with the iconic Jasprit Bumrah expected to be given a rest. In his place, seamer Arshdeep Singh is expected to come into the side. For India, their preparations for the final appear to have already been completed, and this game will serve as a warm-up event before they take to the field on Sunday.