India vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 Highlights: SL eke out stunning win, beat India by 6 wickets

Two needed from two balls. Shanaka on strike, Rajapaksha on the other end. India almost took the game to the final ball. But they missed, missed and missed again. Arshdeep missed the edge of Shanka's bat by a whisker and the ball travelled to wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. Shanaka scooted to the non-striker for a blind desperate run, a bye. Pant had a clear view of the three sticks and had a chance to get a run-out Rajapaksha. He aimed and threw the ball but was off the target. The ball reached Arshdeep, who was mid-pitch in his follow through. The bowler saw Shanaka struggling to reach the non-striker's end. He too had a clear view of his target. Should he throw or take the game to the final ball. He took a chance. Another miss and Lanka was home. It's that kind of tournament for India. 

Two needed from two balls. Shanaka on strike, Rajapaksha on the other end. India almost took the game to the final ball. But they missed, missed and missed again. Arshdeep missed the edge of Shanka's bat by a whisker and the ball travelled to wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. Shanaka scooted to the non-striker for a blind desperate run, a bye. Pant had a clear view of the three sticks and had a chance to get a run-out Rajapaksha. He aimed and threw the ball but was off the target. The ball reached Arshdeep, who was mid-pitch in his follow through. The bowler saw Shanaka struggling to reach the non-striker's end. He too had a clear view of his target. Should he throw or take the game to the final ball. He took a chance. Another miss and Lanka was home. It's that kind of tournament for India.  Miss, Miss, Miss. 

1 1 Wd Wd 4 4 1 1 = 14 from the over by Bhunveshwar Kumar. Nissanka's boundaries leave 7 needed in the final over, India can feel the game slipping away. Sri Lanka are already celebrating here! SL: 167/4 after 19 ovs

Dasun Shanaka hits Hardik Pandya for a six and a four. First a streaky boundary and then a six off a 145 kmph from Pandya. SL: 152/4 in 17.5 overs

An animated Rohit Sharma had a long chat with Chahal at the start of his final over. On strike was Kushal Midas, and that's not a spelling mistake. The Lankan opener was running away with the match. A defeat for India here would mean the curtain on their campaign would be half-down, make it three-fourth. Chahal was lucky to have retained his place in the side. He was having a terrible Asia Cup. Pundits wanted young leggie Ravi Bishnoi to play the game and be Ashwin's spin partner. And Chahal bowled the most important ball of his career. He got Kushal lbw with a slider. With the wicket he might have saved India from the surgical strikes of the trolls. 

Wasim Akram didn't like what was seeing. Arshdeep, in his second over which was India's 5th, was bowling full, desperately hoping the ball would swing. Tough luck the ball wasn't bowling in the air or off the wicket. The Sri Lanka openers were happy, they were hitting through the line, spanking the ball on the up, they were generally toying with bowling.  The Sultan of Swing, parked far from the central square, had spotted that the ball had stopped a while back. Arshdeep was way too raw to be that sharp. Akram too wasn't blaming the young boy, for whom this Dubai trip was proving to be a nightmare. He said this was something the captain or the bowling coach should tell him. Avesh Khan in the last game and Arshdeep now had been found wanting. From the commentary box the fingers were pointed to Paras Mhambray. If things didn't improve the voice would grow. Meanwhile, Arshdeep went for 18 runs. 

Yuzvendra Chahal had taken just one wicket in three games thus far, and was in some pressure. Two overs ticked by. Nothing much worked. More pressure. Then for some reason Nissanka, who batted mighty impressively, went for a flat revere sweep with backward point and wide-ish short third man in place - had he tried an aerial reverse, it would have been understandable to an extent - and found Rohit Sharma at point. Chahal’s day was beginning to turn. He then had the next batsman Charith Asalanka miscuing a heave-ho. Then came his best ball to Kusal Mendis. A front-of-hand slider that skidded on a length and hurried towards leg stump. Mendis had given himself some room and couldn’t get his bat down in time to escape the lbw.

In walked in Virat Kohli to the celebratory huddle, drew Chahal close to himself, and planted a long kiss on the head.

LBW! Chahal bags another ! The Indian spinners are on a roll ! The well-settled Kusal Mendis is gone for 57. SL four down chasing 174. India have picked up 4 wickets in 25 balls

WICKET! Much needed scalp for India, and a first for Ravichandran Ashwin! Gunathilaka is gone for just one. The Lankans have lost three in the last 13 balls. SL: 110/3 after 13.5 ovs | They need 64 off 37

One brings two! 2 wickets in 4 balls for Chahal and Asalanka departs for a duck. W 0 0 W 1 0 - Tremendous 12th over by Chahal. SL: 97/2 | They need 77 runs in 50 balls 

Nissanka hits the reverse sweep to backward point where Rohit makes no mistake. SL 97/1 after 11.1 ovs | SL need 77 in 53 deliveries

Ashwin’s second ball was actually pretty good. It had a lovely away drift and it also turned in. But Kusal Mendis absolutely walloped it on a bent knee over extra cover for a stunning six. He stretched forward, waited on a bent knee, and down came the bat, and connected fabulously well. As if there had been no drift, as if there had been no turn, as if it was a over-pitched ball that did nothing. The length demanded he had to biff it somewhat on the up, but he did everything well to smash it over the boundary.

Kusal Mendis with a fantastic six! Dances down the track to Ashwin and goes inside out and smashes it over wide long-off. Simply Wow!  Nissanka & Mendis have settled in & are looking dangerous. India need a breakthrough ASAP

Former India and CSK middle-order batsman, S Badrinath on Tamil commentary on Star Sports didn’t mince his words about Indian bowling attack.  “Apart from Bhubaneshwar Kumar, there is nothing really to this Indian fast bowling attack. India has the poorest attack (the current one) in the top 4 teams today. For Sri Lanka, the spin attack is better. Pakistan is of course best. Afghanistan have a great spin attack. There is no penetration as a fast bowler - you need swing or pace, and I don't see that in this Indian attack. in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Harshal Patel, this unit struggles. They just took 3 fast bowling options for this tournament. Mistake. And Deepak Chahar isn't feeling well."

Fifty comes up for Sri Lanka in the 6th over and both their openers are still at the crease. India are under pressure and have brought Chahal into the attack. A team that has shown great heart, especially with their batting; showing good form again today. Sri Lanka on the charge

SIX! slower one from Arshdeep which is short in length and that's been whacked into the crowd! 4 1 4 1 6 2 = 18 from the over.

An outstanding start from Sri Lanka openers 💪#INDvSL | #AsiaCup2022 | 📝 Scorecard: https://t.co/914FlwDKK0 pic.twitter.com/YI5C5r6A1M

— ICC (@ICC) September 6, 2022

Nissanka and Kusal Mendis to start the proceedings for Sri Lanka. Bhuvneshwar will bowl the first over for India. That's a very good over, just 1 run off the over.  SL 1/0 after 1 over.

Karunaratne comes in to bowl the last over for Sri Lanka and takes the wicket of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Great comeback by the Sri Lankan bowlers. Ashwin gets a six here. What a shot!! Ind 173/8 after 20 overs.

Innings Break!#TeamIndia post a total of 173/8 on the board.

Over to our bowlers now 🙌

Scorecard - https://t.co/JFtIjXSBXC #INDvSL #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/g77BzXkt8b

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 6, 2022