Asia Cup 2022: "Don't take Sri Lanka lightly" - Aakash Chopra on India's Super 4 clash against the Lankans
Aakash Chopra has pointed out that India cannot take Sri Lanka lightly in their Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 clash in Dubai on Tuesday (September 6).
Rohit Sharma and Co. head into their second Super 4 game on the back of a five-wicket defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan. Dasun Shanaka's side, on the other hand, will go into the match after back-to-back wins, including a victory against Afghanistan in their first Super 4 game.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted that the Men in Blue have a tough road ahead of them. He explained:
"Pakistan have lost one match and can lose one more match. India have lost one match but if they lose today's match, the road ahead will be almost blocked. It is still a round-robin league for them but it has become a knockout for us. Don't take Sri Lanka lightly."
Chopra pointed out that India's southern neighbors have chased down challenging targets in their last two games. The former India opener elaborated:
"They (Sri Lanka) are coming after chasing huge totals in the last two matches. They defeated Bangladesh on this ground itself, chasing a 180-plus total. After that, on a pitch where we felt you cannot chase, they chased down 175 runs, despite the opposition team having three spinners."
Chopra added that Sri Lanka are gelling together as a unit. He said:
"They chased successfully despite no one scoring a fifty. This tells that the five fingers are combining to make a fist. So Sri Lanka is actually a team on the rise. They have been on the winning spree and we have to win this match because it's do or die, now or never."
Sri Lanka first defeated Bangladesh in a must-win final Group B game to qualify for the Super 4 stage. They then defeated Afghanistan by four wickets on Saturday to avenge a crushing loss they suffered against Mohammad Nabi's side in the group-stage game.
"If we do man-to-man marking, the Indian team is way ahead" - Aakash Chopra
While acknowledging that the Indian team looks superior on paper, Chopra concluded by stating that they necessarily have to win Tuesday's game. The renowned commentator observed:
"If we do man-to-man marking, the Indian team is way ahead. This is the team that started as favorites, defeated Pakistan in the first match and Hong Kong in the second. They destroyed Sri Lanka when they had come to India. But the situation now is that there is no option but to win the match."
Must win game for India against Sri Lanka tomorrow, biggest positive has been the form of Virat and Bishnoi coming so good in the Pakistan match. We might see few changes as well with Ashwin, Axar Patel and Dinesh Karthik waiting for their opportunities.
A win against Sri Lanka would give India an impetus for their chances of qualifying for the Asia Cup final. A loss, on the other hand, would leave them at the mercy of other results to make the title decider.