CRICKET – DEFENDING champions India survived Pathum Nissanka’s blistering hundred and some intense Super Over drama before beating Sri Lanka in a dead rubber to maintain their unbeaten run in the Asia Cup yesterday.
With India having already secured their place in tomorrow’s final against Pakistan and Sri Lanka eliminated, the Super Fours clash was of merely academic interest but it turned out to be the most exciting game of this year’s tournament.
Sri Lanka gave a good account of themselves and matched India’s 202-5 to force the Super Over after Nissanka (107) smashed the first individual hundred of this year’s tournament.
Sri Lanka, however, managed only two runs in the Super Over before losing both the wickets in five deliveries from Arshdeep Singh.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav took three runs from the first delivery from Wanindu Hasaranga to seal their victory in a matter-of-fact way.
Earlier, put into bat, 20-overs world champions India racked up the tournament’s first 200-plus total riding opener Abhishek Sharma’s third consecutive fifty in the tournament. Abhishek, the world’s top-ranked T20 batter, maintained his red-hot form with a sizzling 61 off 31 balls.
Opening partner Shubman Gill fell for four and skipper Suryakumar’s (12) slump in form continued but India did not really suffer as Abhishek raced to a 22-ball fifty.
&uuid=(email))