India vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup: Victory shows India are ready for different conditions and challenges

India, on Tuesday, became the first team to book its place in the 2023 Asia Cup final and they managed to do this with a game in hand, and with a plucky win over co-hosts Sri Lanka and in front of a partisan crowd in Colombo.

Playing without a break after their victory over Pakistan in the Super Fours, India, who batted first, were bowled out for 213 with rookie left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage taking a fifer. However, India gave a better account of themselves in bowling as Kuldeep Yadav took four wickets and Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja chipped in with two each to secure a 41-run victory.

Asia Cup 2023: Scenarios explained for PAK and SL

With progress to the final confirmed, India now also have the privilege of resting players during the Bangladesh game which takes place on 15 September.

While that was the short-term game, the tricky contest and the hard-fought win also tested India with a fresh challenge and showed that the team has what it takes to quickly adapt and deliver results.

“It was a good game. For us also to play a game like that under pressure. Challenged a lot of aspects of our game,” India captain Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“We definitely want to play on pitches like these to see what we can achieve.”

Batters tested to the limit

The biggest test for the Indian batters so far in the Asia Cup was the swing bowlers of Pakistan. In the Group A game at Pallkele, Indian batters struggled as the team was bowled out for 266.

Apart from Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, no other batter was able to stand up against the fast Pakistan pacers.

In Colombo against the same opposition, on a batting-friendly pitch, Virat Kohli and returning KL Rahul made merry as they both struck centuries while Rohit and Shubamn Gill also added a fifty each in India’s 228-run win.

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Well done #TeamIndia #AsiaCup2023 | #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/amuukhHziJ

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 12, 2023

On Tuesday, the conditions were a lot different. The pitch was slow and assisted the spinners. These are conditions that don’t suit the Indian batters and it showed. Despite a good start and making 53, Rohit couldn’t convert it into a big one as he fell to Wellalage.

Gill and Kohli also were dismissed by Wellalage for low scores. And while Kishan scored a gritty 33, Rahul was the only one who looked in control during his 39-run knock off 44 balls.

Axar Patel’s 26 from the No 8 spot was what eventually helped India get to 213 and it showed that on spin-friendly pitches, the Gujarat all-rounder can be India’s trump card. He’s an accurate bowler and a brilliant fielder, but most importantly has been in great form with the bat. That talent can be used by India on tricky pitches in place of Shardul Thakur, who is more suited for flat tracks or swinging pitches.

In the ODI World Cup, the games for India at Chennai (against Australia), Delhi (against Afghanistan), and Lucknow (against England) are expected to be similarly challenging and the Sri Lanka match not only worked as a perfect preparation for the upcoming matches but also gave India an idea about how to sort out their batting combinations.

Hardik shines with his bowling

While Axar had a good time with the bat, his bowling left a lot to be desired. He gave away 29 runs in five overs without a wicket. However, thankfully for India, another all-rounder Hardik Pandya came good with the ball.

Pandya only scored five with the bat, but with the ball, he was India’s best pacer even if Bumrah got two wickets and Mohammed Siraj one.

Plenty of fight, plenty of belief pic.twitter.com/hCtyAZ361K

— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) September 12, 2023

Hardik bowled five overs in the match and returned with figures of 1/14. Interestingly majority of his bowling came in the most crucial phase, towards the end. Pandya’s first over was in the 11th and the second came in the 35th.

At the end of the 34th over, Sri Lanka needed 62 more from the last 16 overs with Dhananjaya de Silva and Wellalage going after the Indian bowling and threatening a late surge for the hosts.

Hardik from here bowled four straight overs, giving away just 11 runs and tying down Wellalage and Dhananjaya as the pressure mounted. This helped Jadeja dismiss Dhananjaya in the 38th over as the Sri Lankan fell trying to play a lofted shot.

Hardik would then go on to take a wicket himself; dismissing Maheesh Theekshana.

“He’s (Hardik) worked hard on his bowling over the last couple of years, and it’s pleasing to see how he bowled that spell. Not an easy target to defend. Pitch got slightly better towards the end so we had to hold our nerve and bowl consistently,” Rohit said after the match.

Overall, it wasn’t a great game for the top order except for Rohit, but apart from that, India did very little wrong. Rohit, Kishan, Rahul, and Axar got runs on a tricky pitch and amid difficult conditions. The bowlers responded with aplomb and also dealt with a threatening late partnership to guide India to a victory.

A hard-fought victory that is set to make India a better side ahead of the World Cup.