India survived a dramatic finish to complete the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup unbeaten, defeating Sri Lanka in a Super Over in Dubai on Friday night.
Chasing 203, Sri Lanka had looked on course thanks to a dazzling 107 off 58 balls from Pathum Nissanka, his maiden T20I century. But when Harshit Rana removed him with the first ball of the final over, the equation swung decisively back India’s way. Dasun Shanaka’s late hits and frantic running tied the scores, taking the contest into the tournament’s first Super Over.
What followed was chaos. Sri Lanka opted not to send out Nissanka, their best batter of the tournament, instead choosing Kusal Perera and Shanaka. Perera was caught at deep point off Arshdeep Singh’s first delivery. Kamindu Mendis, with no record of quick scoring against elite opposition, was the next man in and struggled immediately.
Shanaka was then involved in a bizarre incident when he was simultaneously adjudged caught behind and run out. Because Arshdeep’s appeal for the catch was upheld first, Shanaka survived the run out. He was soon dismissed anyway, holing out to deep third. Sri Lanka stumbled to just two runs in their Super Over, losing three wickets in the process.
India had little trouble in reply. Suryakumar Yadav struck Wanindu Hasaranga through the covers and the batters sprinted three runs off the first ball to seal victory. Arshdeep’s precision with his wide yorkers set the tone, earning him plaudits for a masterclass under pressure.
The result leaves India unbeaten going into Saturday’s final. While they rested Jasprit Bumrah for this fixture, his absence was noticeable as Sri Lanka pushed them all the way. Opponents may take encouragement from that, but India again found a way to prevail.
Kuldeep Yadav also finished the Super Four stage as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, his tally of 13 underlining his impact through the middle overs. Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 61 and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 49 had earlier powered India to 202 for five, the highest total of the competition.
For Sri Lanka, this was a night of missed opportunities. Nissanka’s century and his 127-run stand with Kusal Perera had them believing. But tactical missteps and nerves in the Super Over proved fatal.
