Highlights
- India lost to Pakistan by 5 wickets in their first Super 4 match
- Sri Lanka head into this match with two consecutive victories
- If India lose this match, they will be eliminated from the Asia Cup
IND vs SL: Rohit Sharma-led team India finds themselves in an unwanted situation. Owing to their loss against Pakistan on September 4, 2022, in the Super 4 round, India is now in a make-or-break situation. India has enjoyed a stellar run in the Asia Cup so far but their victory parade was halted by the Babar Azam-led Pakistan team who were magnificent in their second clash with their arch-rivals. The format of the super 4s round is such that teams will have to win 2 out of their 3 games to make it to the finals that will be played on September 11, 2022.
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The men in blue are the defending champions of the Asia Cup and are being touted as one of the favorites who will go on and clinch the Asian glory. The ongoing Asia Cup in many ways is a dress rehearsal for the T20I World Cup that will be played in Australia later in October. India started in a very strong fashion when they defeated Pakistan by a margin of 5 wickets in their opening game of the Asia Cup. They backed it up with a clinical performance against Hong Kong whom they defeated by a margin of 40 runs. India recently faltered against Pakistan in the Super 4 round and made many technical errors that cost them the game.
As of now, the equation is very clear for Rohit Sharma-led team India. If they want to retain their crown, they will have to win all their remaining matches, one against Sri Lanka and one against Afghanistan. The Mohammad Nabi-led Afghanistan team too find themselves in a similar situation. With one loss in the Super 4 against Sri Lanka they too have to win every game if they want to claim the championship for the first time. After India's loss, Rohit Sharma's tactics were heavily criticized. Indian wicketkeeper-batsman too was in the line of fire due to his irresponsible approach and the habit of throwing his wicket away at the crucial stages of the game.
On the other hand, there is Sri Lanka who will be heading to this match with great momentum. The Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lankan team recently has pulled off two spectacular chases, one against Bangladesh in the group stage and one against Afghanistan in the Super 4 stage. The toss will play a major role in deciding the outcome of the match and as of now India certainly will be wary of the challenge they are up against.
