Momin Saqib during the India-Sri Lanka match.© Instagram
After a great run in the group stage, expectation were high from Team India at the Asia Cup 2022. However, after two straight defeats in the Super 4 stage to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, India are on brink of exit. India now have to rely on other teams’ results, in order to qualify for the final. On Tuesday, India skipper Rohit Sharma’s scintillating 41-ball 72 went in vain, as the Sri Lanka completed a chase of 174 with a ball to spare Needing 21 in 12 balls, Sri Lanka scored 14 runs off the penultimate over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, almost sealing it in their favour. India will be out of the tournament if Pakistan beat Afghanistan on Wednesday.
During the India-Sri Lanka match, Momin Saqib, who is more famous as ‘Maro Mujhe Maro’ guy, was present at the stadium. And he made an interesting reel on India’s display. “India is in a tough situation. Sri Lankan batters are performing really well and they are coasting towards victory. The hope of India-Pakistan final is drowning. This is cheating,” he can be heard as saying in the video.
Chasing what looked like a par score at the innings break, the Sri Lankans were off to a blazing start with openers Kusal Mendis (57 off 37 balls) and Pathum Nissanka (52 off 37 balls) putting on 91 runs at a brisk rate. The fifty was up in the sixth over with both batters regularly finding the gaps and the boundaries with consummate ease, putting tremendous pressure on the Indian bowling attack that looked clueless against the positive approach adopted by the two Lankan batters.
However, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had other ideas as he struck twice in the 12th over to put the brakes on Sri Lanka’s march.
Ravichandran Ashwin sent back Danushka Gunathilaka (1) to leave Sri Lanka in a spot of bother at 110 for three in the 14th over.
In the first ball of the next over, Sri Lanka suffered a body blow as Chahal got the big wicket of Mendis, who was trapped lbw in front of the wicket.
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But Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka and (33 not out) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25 not out) remained till the end to complete the task for their team with a match-winning, fifth-wicket partnership of 64 runs.
With PTI inputs
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