With the defeat against India in the finals of the Asia Cup 2023, Sri Lanka had lost its chance to even the record of most Asia Cup titles with India.
Dasun Shanaka on losing the Asia Cup 2023
Sri Lanka was scheduled to play the finals of the Asia Cup 2023 against India on September 17, at R. Premadasa Stadium, where India won by 10 wickets.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat where they struggled to score runs against Indian aggressive bowlers and ended up scoring only 50 runs losing all the wickets. With a fifty-one-run partnership scored by Indian openers, the side easily won the game.
On this occasion, the Sri Lanka Skipper Dasun Shanaka praised Indian bowlers on their impressive performance and thanked the fans for their support. He said, “It was outstanding bowling display from Siraj. I thought it’ll be a good pitch for batters, but overcast conditions played a part.”
“Tough day for us at the office. We could’ve tightened our technique, would’ve helped batters to settle in and free their arms later. Lots of positives. The way Sadeera and Kusal batted against spin, Also the way Asalanka batted. These three will score heavily in good batting conditions in India.”
“We know how to bounce back from tough situations. We came into the final beating good sides. It’s a big plus. Players will continue good cricket from last couple of years. I would like to thank supporters who came in numbers. Sorry about the fact we disappointed you. Still thanks for the great support. And congrats to the Indian team.”
Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera opened the innings for Sri Lanka while Jasprit Bumrah opened the bowling attack. Pathum Nissanka was dismissed with 2 runs by Bumrah where Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis was sent out with a duck and 17 runs by Siraj. After the fall of Dhananjaya de Silva for four runs Sri Lanka was down to five wickets scoring only 12 runs on the fourth over.
Other batters struggled against the terrific bowling attack of India, where Mohammed Siraj dismissed 6 batters while Hardik Pandya scalped three wickets. After losing all 10 wickets Sri Lanka scored only 50 runs in the second ball of the 16th over.
After folding Sri Lanka for low scores, Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill opened the innings while Pramod Madushan opened the bowling attack. Ishan Kishan scored 23 runs from 18 deliveries including 3 boundaries while Shubman Gill scored 27 runs on 19 deliveries which includes 6 boundaries. On the first ball of the 7th over, India achieved the target of 51 runs and won the game with 10 wickets.
Sri Lanka will be playing two warmup games against Bangladesh and Afghanistan before the ICC men’s World Cup 2023 on September 29 and October 3 at Barsapara Stadium.
