India survived a Super Over scare against Sri Lanka ahead of their blockbuster Asia Cup final against archrivals Pakistan in their final Super 4s clash in Dubai on Friday.
The match ended in an exciting Super Over when the Lankans, who were already out of the tournament, lit up the evening with some incredible shots in their run pursuit of 203.
Opening batsman Pathum Nissanka led the Lankan run chase with a brilliant ton that came off 52 balls and reaching the milestone with a straight six off Arshdeep Singh. Nissanka’s first T20I century is just the third century in Asia Cup competitions in the game’s shortest format.
A blitzkrieg 127-run partnership between Nissanka and Kusal Perera for the second wicket off just 70 balls set the stage for the Lankan run chase.
With their 100-run partnership off of just 54 balls, Nissanka and Perera both put the Indian assault on the defensive.
Before being stumped by Sanju Samson off Varun Chakaravarthy, Perera scored 58 runs off 32 balls, including sixes and eight fours.
Suryakumar Yadav’s bold decision to hand Kuldeep Yadav one final over paid dividends, as he dismissed Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka on the first ball of it, with Shubman Gill taking the catch at long-on.
With Dasun Shanaka by his side, all eyes were on Nissanka to lead the Lankans to victory after Arshdeep Singh dismissed Kamindu Mendis early.
With 12 runs needed off the final over bowled by Harshit Rana — who had given away 44 runs in his previous three overs — Nissanka flicked the first delivery straight into the hands of Varun Chakaravarthy at short fine-leg.
Nissanka left after scoring 107 runs off of just 58 balls, including six sixes and seven fours.
In order to reduce the equation to three runs required off the final ball, Shanaka maintained composure and edged Rana’s penultimate delivery over the lone first slip to the third man fence.
The match went into a Super Over after Shanaka mistimed a hit to long-on, where Axar Patel fumbled, allowing the Sri Lankan to return for two. However, believing the throw was nearing his end, he dove as Janith Liyanage attempted a third and Rana missed a run-out opportunity.
Dasun Shanaka and Kusal Perera opened for Sri Lanka, but Perera was dismissed off the very first ball of the Super Over, bowled by Arshdeep, with Rinku Singh taking the catch in the covers.
Kamindu Mendis managed a single, but Arshdeep followed with a dot and a wide. Shanaka missed the next ball, then scampered for a single. Samson threw for a direct hit, but Arshdeep’s caught behind appeal was upheld by the umpire before the run-out could be signaled. Shanaka reviewed, and replays showed no edge, making the ball dead — and with it, the run-out appeal was also dismissed.
Jitesh Sharma caught Shanaka at the third man fence as he tumbled off the next delivery, and Sri Lanka scored two runs in the Super Over.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav, alongside Shubman Gill, took to the crease for India’s Super Over chase, and SKY hammered the first ball through the covers for 3 runs, sealing India’s victory.
Earlier, Sanju Samson found timely confidence with a handy 39, building on Abhishek Sharma’s trademark early blitz, as India piled up a commanding 202/5.
This score surpassed both Afghanistan’s 188 against Hong Kong and India’s 188 against Oman, making it the highest by any team in the current tournament.
Abhishek smashed a 31-ball 61, while Samson thrived at No. 5, belting some stunning sixes in his 22-ball cameo. Tilak Varma anchored the innings, finishing unbeaten on 49 off 34 balls — a resilient knock that will boost his confidence immensely.
Abhishek’s pounding of the bowlers in the powerplay has become the standard for this tournament, as he completed a hat-trick of half-centuries. The innings on Friday featured eight fours and two sixes, despite the cheap dismissals of Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill.
However, Abhishek was caught at deep mid-wicket boundary following a half-tracker from Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka, as he missed out on a hundred for the third time in the competition.
Gill (4) fell after a Maheesh Theekshana delivery held up, resulting in a leading edge that the bowler comfortably caught. Skipper Surya (12), struggling for form, tried to sweep his way out of trouble but was trapped LBW by Wanindu Hasaranga.
The down-the-ground shot from Hasaranga’s bowling was the most notable of Samson’s three sixes. He muscled it directly into the sight-screen after plopping his front foot shade outside the leg-stump to create space.
Samson hit Dasun Shanaka over cow corner for another maximum in the following over. Before Axar Patel finished the India innings with a six, Samson and Tilak combined for 66 runs in 6.5 overs to set the stage for a final flourish.
