India defeated Sri Lanka with ease by a score of 41 runs in the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four to advance to the championship match. First-innings batters Men in Blue got off to a good start as skipper Rohit Sharma scored his third consecutive half-century. India eventually scored 213 runs on the board despite the middle order crumbling.
Even though Sri Lanka’s middle order batsmen had a rough start, they displayed amazing composure. In addition to picking up a five-for with the ball, Dunith Wellalage contributed with the bat and nearly led the club to a historic triumph. But Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja’s outstanding bowling ultimately secured victory for India.
But at one point, Sri Lanka was considered the frontrunner to win. During the pivotal partnership between Wellalage and Dhananjaya de Silva, several Pakistan supporters began accusing the game of being manipulated on Twitter. They bemoaned the Indian bowlers’ lack of effort since they wanted Pakistan to be eliminated from the competition.
With that in mind, former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar slammed these detractors, saying that the Men in Blue were putting everything they had to cross the finish line. As he praised Wellalage for winning Player of the Match, he also called it ridiculous.
Shoaib Akhtar “I’ve heard rumours that India rigged the match and played poorly so that Pakistan would lose and be eliminated.
Do you guys have a mental illness? They are bowling with all of their might.Dunith Wellalage bowled exceptionally well. Also, he received a 43. I start getting phone calls all of a sudden warning that Pakistan will be obliterated if India loses. Why on earth would they fail? They did, and they had a chance to advance to the final. Total rubbish,” declared Akhtar on his YouTube channel.
The winner of Pakistan’s next game against Sri Lanka, which takes place on September 14 in Colombo, will join India in the championship.
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