Asia Cup 2022: India eye win to stay alive in competition, Sri Lanka aims for solidifying final spot

Dubai [UAE], September 5 (ANI): India's next Super Four phase clash against Sri Lanka at the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 will be extremely crucial for Men in Blue for their chances of qualifying for the final of the tournament that they have won seven times and are currently defending, while Sri Lanka will be looking forward to solidifying their chances of further progress in the tournament.
India will lock horns against Sri Lanka in their second Super Four stage clash at the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 on Tuesday.
India heads into this match with a heavy wound of loss to arch-rival Pakistan in their first Super Four clash. It will be in the mind of Men in Blue to keep their campaign going so that they are not only able to lift the trophy for the eighth time, but also avenge this loss to Pakistan, given that the Men in Green qualify for the final as well.
Sri Lanka on the other hand will be aiming to carry forward the momentum gained after winning against Afghanistan in their first Super Four clash by four wickets. This team has produced some surprising results over the last few months and a win against a world-class Indian team will be on their bucket list as a team.
For producing a winning result, India will have to make sure that openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma replicate their explosive batting in the previous match and go longer. Virat Kohli will also be looking forward to playing another solid knock to improve his yearly statistics and regain his best form. He has been the second highest run-scorer in Asia Cup 2022 so far with 154 runs in three games and two half-centuries.
It is important that the middle order consisting of likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, and Dinesh Karthik forgets the slip-up against Pakistan and continues playing intent-filled innings that have made them extremely reliable over last few months.
Indian bowling was a mixed bag in Pakistan. While youngsters Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi delivered economy and wickets both, senior bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya struggled. A collective superb bowling effort will be extremely important for India's chances at the final.
Sri Lanka on the other side, despite its inconsistencies and lack of star power, is not a side to be underestimated.
Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis are openers of the side and have the capacity to surprise sides with their big hits. They will have to play talented bowlers like Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar and Arshdeep really well in the powerplay and give their team a positive start.
Other top-order/middle-order batters like Charith Asalanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and captain Dasun Shanaka can be dangerous too, capable of making useful contributions in middle overs.
Sri Lankan bowling attack consisting of all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka among others is a well-balanced one with the right mix of pace and spin. On their given day, they can snatch the match from their opponents.
Here are the squads.
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Charith Asalanka, Ashen Bandara, Dinesh Chandimal, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva, Nuwanidu Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka, Praveen Jayawickrama, Chamika Karunaratne, Pramod Madushan, Dilshan Madushanka, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay (ANI)