India have been almost knocked out of the Asia Cup after losing to Sri Lanka by six wickets in their second Super 4 match in Dubai on Tuesday.
Rohit Sharma hit an imperious 72 off 41 balls but no one barring Surya Kumar Yadav crossed 20 as India staggered to 173/8. Sri Lanka recorded their highest opening partnership in T20Is before Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin combined to take four wickets and bring India back into the game. Once again asked to defend seven off six balls, Arshdeep Singh bowled full but Bhanuka Rajapaksa and captain Dasun Shanaka kept their nerve and carved out the win with one ball to spare.
That both sides were level on 138/4 after 16.3 overs was quite unbelievable considering Sri Lanka were 89/0 at the halfway mark. Scoring 57 in the Powerplay, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis were cruising till Nissanka reverse-swept Yuzvendra Chahal to Sharma at backward point.
Three balls later, Charith Asalanka top-edged to Suryakumar Yadav at deep backward square and India sniffed a chance. Another couple of wickets—Danushka Gunathilaka holing out to long-off and Mendis being trapped by Chahal—and India were right back in the game. But once the spinners had been bowled out, Sri Lanka slowly wrested back the initiative playing sensible cricket.
Tactically, India were outsmarted once again when they were batting. Sri Lanka utilised the conditions better, bowling fuller and quicker with the new ball but then slowing it down by consistently taking the pace off the ball.
And the lines were straight, nothing extravagant throughout the innings, which meant India had a difficult time finding width. Sri Lanka’s opening gambit of pace and spin from either end clearly took them surprise.
KL Rahul, generally more fluent against pace, was done in by Maheesh Theeksana’s arm ball just after he had skipped down the pitch to take the off-spinner’s delivery on the half volley for a boundary over extra-cover.
Thinking he could repeat the shot again, Rahul this time was struck on the boot. Committed to the plan of starting quickly, Virat Kohli played out three dots and a wide before uncharacteristically slogging across the line to a full and fast Dilshan Madushanka delivery that shaped back into him to flatten his off and middle stumps.
Sharma stuck to his game though. Playing shots all around the park, Sharma lifted India out of an ordinary Powerplay (44/2) to 109/2 after the 12th over where he milked leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga for 18 runs, including two sixes. Asitha Fernando’s medium pace was helped along for a six and a four in the fifth over, and once again for a six and a four in the 10th over after Dasun Shanaka failed to hold on to a difficult catch at cover. By the time Sharma holed out to Pathum Nissanka in the deep in the 13th over, India were set up for at least 190.
But that didn’t happen. For 12 balls after Sharma’s dismissal, India couldn’t score a boundary, a rut culminating in Yadav trying to ramp Shanaka but ending up gloving it to wide slip. Rishabh Pant came, found short cover before clubbing him through deep midwicket for four. Two balls later, another four, but this time through point. Hardik Pandya too was all poise and power, launching into Shanaka for a massive six over long-off. Wickets started to fall in a heap though.
Pandya was caught at short third man, Deepak Hooda was given a life when he was deemed caught off a no-ball but he could survive only three more deliveries, and Pant found deep midwicket going for a six. Ashwin hit a six but India could only add 46 in the last five overs. That ultimately spelt out the difference between the two sides.