India outplayed a super over against Sri Lanka to win the final Super Fours match of the Asia Cup, maintaining their perfect record ahead of the final against Pakistan. The match, which was an exhibition in the context of the tournament, provided the highest run total of the Asia Cup so far. The Indian skipper punched the the first ball for a boundary, chasing down the three-run target set by Sri Lanka in the penultimate over.
Both teams committed late errors, to send the match to regulation time, with Sri Lanka requiring three runs off the final delivery, but a misfield by Axar Patel at long-on was followed by Dasun Shanaka falling short of completing the run needed to win. This sequence of errors pushed the game into a super over.
Sri Lanka’s chase took charge through 127-run partnership between Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera, with the pair scoring 114 for one in just 10 overs, with Nissanka exploding for a 52-ball century. Perera contributed equally, scoring a 58 off 32 balls before being stumped. The partnership put the Lions, in a comfortable position, but a late collapse saw them lose three wickets for 29 runs, allowing Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana to just about pull off the tie at the death.
Earlier, India's innings took the liberty of having reached the finals, and went out all the more freely. Abhishek Sharma scored his third consecutive fifty, scoring a quickfire 61 off 31 balls before being dismissed. The middle order showed a much needed response before setting up for the finals, with Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson building 66-run partnership off 42 balls. Tilak scored an impressive 49 off 34 balls, while Samson contributed a nearly identical 32 runs off 19 balls against spin.
The supposed climax, turned to an anti-climax. Sri Lanka opted not to send out centurion Nissanka, instead sending Kusal Perera and Dasun Shanaka to face Arshdeep Singh. Arshdeep conceded just two runs for two wickets and effectively ended the contest before it even began. For something that is to be followed by the finals, India must rein in the positives and look to iron out the skirmishes.
