Asia Cup 2022: “MS Dhoni ran out a lot of batters in such situations” - Virender Sehwag feels luck deserted India against Sri Lanka
Former cricketer Virender Sehwag stated that luck wasn’t on India’s side during their Super 4 Asia Cup 2022 match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, September 6. According to him, if Rishabh Pant had affected a run out on the penultimate ball, Team India could have put Lanka under pressure.
The Men in Blue went down to Sri Lanka by six wickets in Dubai, leaving them with only a mathematical chance of making the final. They had earlier lost to Pakistan by five wickets in their first Super 4 match.
Both games went down to the wire. In Tuesday’s match, Sri Lanka needed two off two balls. Arshdeep Singh then bowled a good back of a length delivery and beat Dasun Shanaka. However, the batters attempted a bye. Pant had all three stumps to aim at, but missed.
Reflecting on the lost opportunity, Sehwag said that India desperately needed that stroke of luck. He told Cricbuzz:
“India were unlucky as Pant missed that run out with two runs needed off two balls. If he had hit the stumps, a new batsman would have been at the crease and with two needed off one balls, India had a chance. They could have put Sri Lanka under greater pressure. MS Dhoni ran out a lot of batters in such situations. Maybe luck just wasn’t with India.”
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In what was a rather bizarre end to the match, after Pant missed a direct hit, the ball rolled towards Arshdeep. The bowler then attempted a run out at the non-striker's end. However, he also missed the stumps and the Sri Lankan batters took the second run that lifted them to victory.
“Dasun Shanaka’s knock won the game for Sri Lanka” - Virender Sehwag
While discussing the key moments of the match, Sehwag opined that Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka’s 33* off 18 balls was a defining performance. Chasing 174, the Lankans found themselves in some trouble at 110 for four.
Shanaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25* off 17) then stitched together an unbeaten 64-run partnership to sink India. Praising the Lankan captain’s innings, Sehwag said:
“Dasun Shanaka’s knock won the game for Sri Lanka. If he had scored 33 off 27-28 balls, the game would have been beyond their reach. They (Shanaka and Rajapaksa) hit boundaries with ease.”
"The confidence in the dressing room is great, we made a statement to ourselves and to the whole world" @BhanukaRajapak3
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Before Shanaka and Rajapaksa’s cameos, Pathum Nissanka (52 off 37) and Kusal Mendis (57 off 37) added 97 in 11 overs to get Sri Lanka off to a brilliant start in the chase.
The updated list of most runs scorer in Asia Cup can be viewed here.