On September 17 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the seven-time winners India will face the defending champions Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023 championship game. For the eighth time in the competition, both teams will face off in the finals, with India winning four and Sri Lanka taking home three victories. Both clubs are vying for yet another championship win, thus this game is anticipated to be a high-octane battle.
Sri Lanka will enter the match fresh off a nail-biting victory over Pakistan in their virtual semifinal. Sri Lanka has won four out of five matches without even scoring 300 runs in the modern era of cricket, where 400 runs is a manageable total for many. They initially lost the majority of their key bowlers to injuries, but their trusted bowlers have delivered in a variety of matches, taking a total of 47 wickets in five games, including seven wickets against Pakistan in the rain-shortened game that was reduced to 42 overs.
Maheesh Theekshana has taken eight wickets, whilst young sensations Dunith Wellalage and Matheesha Pathirana have each taken ten and eleven for Sri Lanka. Each and every batter has stepped up at different times in the batting department. Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama have contributed 253 and 215 runs, respectively, at averages of 50.60 and 43, while Charith Asalanka, the game’s hero, has contributed 179 runs at an impressive average of 59.67.
Maheesh Theekshana’s contributions will be missed by Sri Lanka because of his injuries. In order to keep winning, Shanaka & Co. will try to retain their crown.
India, on the other hand, will enter the match on the strength of precise batsmanship and bowling exploits. Despite narrowly losing the previous match against Bangladesh by six runs, they continue to be favourites to prevent Sri Lanka from successfully defending their championship. In order to manage the workload before the ODI World Cup next month, India rested their senior players in the most recent match. The bowlers dominated the games against Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka by taking all 30 wickets and bowling each team out for less than 230 runs.
Kuldeep Yadav, who picked up five wickets against Pakistan and four against Sri Lanka, has been in outstanding form. Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur have each taken six and five wickets, respectively. In terms of batting, Rohit Sharma has taken the lead with three fifty-scores, totaling 194 runs in five games at an average of 48.50, while Shubman Gill has topped the chart with 275 runs from five games, including a century against Bangladesh and two fifties against Nepal and Pakistan.
In a crucial 233-run partnership against Pakistan, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul each scored their individual centuries. In order to prevent Sri Lanka from successfully defending their championship, India will strive to maintain their dominance.
Before the India vs. Sri Lanka final, let’s have a look at the statistics and upcoming deadlines:
Head-to-Head: In the 166 total games played between the two sides, India has dominated with 97 victories to Sri Lanka’s 57 victories, with one game ending in a tie and 11 games ending in a draw.
Both teams have faced each other 20 times in ODIs for the Asia Cup; their records are even-steven, with ten wins and 10 losses.
KL Rahul (48) needs two more sixes to reach 50 in ODIs.
Mohammed Siraj (47) needs three more dismissals to achieve the mark of 50 in ODIs.
In international cricket, Rohit Sharma (545) needs five sixes to reach 550 maximums.
Kusal Mendis (147), who needs three sixes to reach 150 in international cricket, is currently at 147.
4 – To reach 50 sixes in ODIs, Kusal Mendis (47) needs three more sixes.
3. Dasun Shanaka (97) needs three more fours to reach 100 in ODIs.
3. Kasun Rajitha (97) needs three more dismissals to reach 100 across all forms.
Kusal Mendis (253) needs 93 runs to surpass the previous record for a wicketkeeper in an ODI Asia Cup competition.
61 runs are required for Rohit Sharma (939) to reach the 1000-run mark in the Asia Cup ODI.
Hardik Pandya (296) is four international fours shy from attaining the 300-four milestone.
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