An email may have been used for this meeting. There isn’t much riding on this Asia Cup match; India has already qualified and Sri Lanka has already been eliminated.
Yes, the T20 World Cup will take place in Asia in a few months, but the conditions will be considerably different from what Dubai has to offer. Nevertheless, both teams would attempt to use the contest.
By rearranging the batting order, putting bowlers in strange phases, and relying on controlled experimentation, India has spent this Asia Cup preparing their minds to accept chaos. However, in the midst of all that purposeful chaos, their fielding has devolved into something much less deliberate.
With 12 drops in the tournament, including eight in the previous two games alone, India’s catching has been subpar. They should be concerned because it’s the one area where they’ve made simple problems much more difficult. Furthermore, India has practiced and played enough in Dubai to be accustomed to the Ring of Fire floodlights, as both Varun Chakaravarthy and Suryakumar Yadav have noted, thus there are no more justifications.
With his batswing and game at its peak, Abhishek Sharma has been giving India the kind of lead starts that give them leeway to make mistakes. Though Sri Lanka will be interested to see if India can find a route forward if those early wickets do go, he will once again be the one to watch.
This has been a memorable tournament for Sri Lanka. They were supposed to be in the top two teams in Asia when they arrived in the UAE, but the batters fell short of expectations. They failed to score respectable totals in their losses to Bangladesh and Pakistan, and it was challenging to recover on fields that perform better in bright light.
Additionally, they struggled to assemble their best team, which is something they hope to improve in the run-up to the T20 World Cup. “We attempted to employ an additional bowler [against Pakistan], but we lost a key batter as a result, and we failed to reach the required number of runs. On other occasions, we were unable to defend a score with the ball after playing an extra batsman. Following Sri Lanka’s loss against Pakistan, Charith Asalanka stated, “We need to figure out how to consistently score 180-200 and also how to use the part-time bowlers like myself, Dasun, and Kamindu Mendis better.”
Therefore, Sri Lanka has another opportunity to refine the combination in this encounter against the top Asia Cup side. However, they will not be pleased if it comes in a dead rubber in a short event like this one.
When: 6:30 PM LOCAL/8:00 PM IST on September 26, 2025
Where: International Cricket Stadium in Dubai
What to anticipate: Both teams are in for familiar slow and low conditions. After the first ten overs, timing the ball and identifying gaps will become more challenging, but the fresh ball should glide into the bat nicely and allow for shot-making. In order to clear the ropes, batters have frequently used risky strokes, which has increased the number of sixes but also created opportunities to take wickets.
India 22 -9 Sri Lanka head-to-head
Team news:
India
There have been no reports of injuries or unavailability in the Indian camp.
Strategies and games: Jasprit Bumrah will be rested for this game by India. Harshit Rana, who would also contribute some batting depth, might see some playing time as a result. Jitesh Sharma, who has consistently appeared among the best when batting in the nets, may get some match time. It will be crucial to use Wanindu Hasaranga in the middle overs because the legspinner hasn’t given up more than 27 runs in this Asia Cup.
Most likely XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah/Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav/Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson (wk)/Jitesh Sharma (wk), and Varun Chakaravarthy
Sri Lanka
Unavailable/injured: For this game, every player is available.
Strategies and games: Sri Lanka’s middle order, which hasn’t been playing well anyhow, will have a battle from India’s spin attack, which has averaged less than 6 runs per over in this Asia Cup. Expect them to return to the previous lineup and use a different batter because their last game didn’t quite work out with Chamika Karunaratne and Maheesh Theekshana.
Most likely XI: Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, and Charith Asalanka (c)
Were you aware?: In T20Is, Dasun Shanaka currently holds the record for the most ducks (14) of any player.
In T20Is since 2024, Wanindu Hasaranga has taken the most wickets [38] in overs 7–15.
During this Asia Cup, Abhishek Sharma has hit twelve sixes. The total number of hits hit by Sri Lanka’s batsmen is as high.
Who said what?: “We have talked about it, but all in all, our lads have been playing spin on a daily basis. Regardless of the circumstances, they are able to manage the spinners. That being said, their lineup includes some excellent bowlers of the highest calibre. On facing India’s spinners, Sri Lankan batting coach Thilina Kandamby said, “If our guys have a positive mindset, we can overcome that.”
After India defeated Bangladesh in their most recent game, skipper Suryakumar Yadav said, “If we bowl 12-14 good overs, we will win on most occasions.”
India
