Asia Cup 2022: Hits and flops as Sri Lanka stun India to record six-wicket victory

Sri Lanka pulled off a massive upset to defeat India by six wickets in their Super 4 encounter at the Asia Cup 2022 on Tuesday (September 6) in Dubai. The result came as a shock for fans of the Men in Blue and their chances of making it to the finals have all but vanished after the defeat.

After being asked to bat, India faced two early blows. KL Rahul was dismissed for just six runs while the in-form Virat Kohli exited for a four-ball duck. Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav then forged a 97-run partnership together to rescue the team from being two down for just 13 runs.

Skipper Sharma seemed to be back to his very best, scoring 72 off just 41 balls in a knock adorned with five fours and four sixes. Yadav, meanwhile, compiled 34 runs before falling to Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka.

Twin 17-run knocks from Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya then helped India register 173 runs on the board from their 20 overs. Dilshan Madhushanka was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, recording impressive figures of 3/24. He was ably supported by Chamika Karunaratne and Shanaka, who scalped two wickets each.

In reply, Sri Lanka made a sensational start to their chase, courtesy of some great batting from Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis. Nissanka raced to a 37-ball 52 with four fours and two sixes, while Mendis scored 57 from 37 balls. The duo put together a 97-run, first-wicket stand to put the Islanders in the driving seat.

Yuzvendra Chahal briefly brought his side back into the contest by picking up three wickets. The Lankans required 54 from their last five overs and were four wickets down. Skipper Dasun Shanaka (33*) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25*) then kept their cool and guided their team home in the last over.

Overall, Sri Lanka overpowered the Indians with a spirited performance. The Men in Blue needed better contributions with the bat while their bowling once again looked ordinary against an attacking Lankan unit.

The updated list of Asia Cup teams and squads can be viewed here.

On that note, let's take a look at the hits and flops from the entertaining clash between India and Sri Lanka at the Asia Cup 2022:

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#4 Flop - Hardik Pandya | India

Hardik Pandya was dismissed for 17 just when his team needed him to accelerate.

India's star player from the opening game against Pakistan, Hardik Pandya, failed to create an impact for the second game in a row. The premier all-rounder couldn't contribute with the bat and also proved to be a weak link as his side's fifth bowler in the second innings.

Pandya was promoted to the No. 5 position and arrived at the crease with nearly eight overs to go. The right-hander, who was backed by the team to give them a blazing finish, was only able to score 17 runs from 13 balls before holing out in the 18th over.

Pandya's poor day on the field continued when he leaked runs easily with the ball and even went wicketless. He bowled the 18th over of the innings and conceded 12 runs, giving Sri Lanka some much-needed momentum after giving up 24 runs in his first three overs.

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#3 Hit - Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis | Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis played match-winning knocks.

Sri Lanka's opening pair of Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis did a wonderful job for their side when they put up a 97-run stand. Their opening partnership made India's bowling attack look dangerously pedestrian and gave their side a massive advantage.

Both Nissanka and Mendis smashed the hapless Indian bowling around the park. The right-handed duo first nullified the new-ball threat of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh before putting the Indian spinners under pressure.

Mendis continued his immaculate form in the tournament and made an impressive 57. Nissanka, meanwhile, played some gorgeous looking strokes as well during his 52-run knock.

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#2 Flop - Virat Kohli | India

Virat Kohli was dismissed for a duck in India's crucial Asia Cup 2022 match against the Lankans. [Pic Credit: Getty Images]

With India losing KL Rahul early on, they needed Virat Kohli to stitch together a partnership with Rohit Sharma and get them back into the game. However, the experienced batter failed to make his presence felt and gifted his wicket away after playing a rash shot.

Kohli, who entered the game with two back-to-back half-centuries, defended the first two deliveries from Dilshan Madhushanka. He was beaten all ends up on the third ball and then lost his stumps while attempting a cross-batted stroke from a good length delivery that moved in off the pitch.

Kohli's dismissal left India reeling at 13/2 inside three overs. They scored just 44 runs in the powerplay with Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav looking to limit the damage.

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#1 Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka)

Dasun Shanaka contributed with both bat and ball to lead Sri Lanka to a vital victory.

The leader of a resurgent Sri Lankan unit, Dasun Shanaka delivered on the big stage and was a major reason behind his side's victory against India.

Not only were his in-game decisions spot on, Shanaka proved to be effective with both bat and ball. The all-rounder was productive with his medium-paced bowling before guiding his side past the target with composure in the second innings.

Despite bowling just two overs previously in the tournament, Shanaka brought himself into the bowling attack with the batters struggling against slower deliveries.

The move worked in his favor as the Sri Lankan skipper inflicted two key blows on India, dismissing Pandya and the well-set Suryakumar. Both batters looked to take the medium pacer on and holed out in the deep against short-pitched slower deliveries.

With the bat, Shanaka bailed his side out from their middle-over hiccups and played a match-winning knock of 33 from 18 balls. He remained unbeaten alongside Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who scored 25 from 17 balls.

He entered proceedings with Sri Lanka needing 64 runs from 35 balls. Shanaka went on to hit four boundaries and a maximum to gave his side the upper hand in a crunch situation. He picked his moments to score and took the sting out of the opposition bowling line-up to seal the win for the Islanders.