India secured their spot in the Asia Cup final, halting Sri Lanka’s impressive 13-match ODI victory run with a win by 41 runs in Colombo.
Following their massive win over Pakistan by 228 runs at the same venue, India managed to defend their score of 213, with Sri Lanka only managing 172 in return.
Rohit Sharma’s team is set to play against the winner of the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan match in the Sunday final. Bangladesh’s chances to move ahead from the Super Four are now dashed.
Despite a remarkable performance by young Dunith Wellalage, who took five wickets and scored a noteworthy 42 not out, Sri Lanka couldn’t clinch the win. Wellalage showcased his skills by dismissing key Indian batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli. He even put an end to the partnership between KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan and later took out Hardik Pandya.
Sri Lanka, unbeaten in ODIs since their loss to Afghanistan in June, faced early setbacks in their chase, with scores at 25-3 and then 99-6. Hopes were reignited with a 63-run partnership between Wellalage and Dhananjaya de Silva. However, their momentum was halted after de Silva’s dismissal by Ravindra Jadeja, followed by rapid losses of the tail-end. India’s Kuldeep Yadav stood out with figures of 4-43, soon after his five-wicket performance against Pakistan.
