Asia Cup 2022: "We are still looking for answers" - Rohit Sharma reacts as India virtually crash out after loss to Sri Lanka
Skipper Rohit Sharma was dejected as India virtually crashed out of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 after losing to Sri Lanka on Tuesday. The Men in Blue suffered two defeats on the trot in the Super 4 stage of the continental tournament.
Dasun Shanaka and Co. batted exceptionally well to chase down 174 runs with one ball to spare. Pathum Nissanka (52) and Kusal Mendia (57) gave a perfect start before Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25) and Shanaka (33) took the side home with a match-winning 64-run stand.
The Indian bowlers were at sea, struggling to execute their plans to perfection. The likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin failed to stem the flow of runs in the middle, while the pacers were also not up to the mark.
Throwing light on India's bowling at the end of the game, Rohit stated:
"These are the only two games we've lost back-to-back. These things will teach us a lot. This bowling combination (two spinners and three seamers) is something I wanted to try and see how it goes. We are still looking for answers. We've been in two consecutive things with close finishes, which we will learn from.
"I have to give credit to Arshdeep for the way he came back to bowl the final over. Chahal and Bhuvi are senior pros now. We are looking at the likes of Avesh and Arshdeep to show what they can bring to the side."
A tournament to forget for Bhuvneshwar Kumar 🤯💔
#INDvSL #AsiaCupT20 #TeamIndia https://t.co/J8IWBIWt1V
Except for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who went for 7.50 runs per over, all the other bowlers conceded over eight runs per over. India did manage to pull things back in the middle with a couple of wickets but the damage was done by then.
Arshdeep Singh bowled exceedingly well in the 20th over to take the match deep before Sri Lanka crossed the finish line with one ball to spare.
Earlier in the day, India lost KL Rahul and Virat Kohli within the first three overs before Rohit steadied the ship alongside Suryakumar Yadav with a 97-run stand. The middle order once again faltered as India could only muster 173/8.
Rohit admitted they were 10-15 runs short and highlighted that the batters need to work on their shot-making:
"We just ended up on the wrong side (of the result). As simple as that. I thought the kind of total we could (get to) in the first half, we were 10-15 runs short. We didn't capitalize on the first half of our innings.
"The guys who were in the middle can learn a thing or two from there in terms of shot-making. These things can happen. This team has been on a winning run for a long time and these losses will teach us plenty."
"Unfortunately, he has not pulled up that well" - Rohit Sharma on Avesh Khan
Where is Umran malik (150km speed) ? Why Deepak chahar (top quality swing bowler )wasn’t there ? Tell me if these guys don’t deserve the chances ?? Why Dinesh Karthik don’t get chances consistently?? Disappointing
India received severe criticism for picking only three frontline seamers in the Asia Cup. Avesh Khan has been unwell for the past few days, leaving the Men in Blue with only two pacers in the Super 4 clashes.
Elaborating on the plan to play with three fast bowlers, Rohit stated:
"Avesh was sick. Unfortunately, he has not pulled up that well. We've been monitoring him and he was quite sick, so it didn't look well.
"Ideally, the combination we play with is with four seamers but that doesn't always work out. We have played with three seamers and have moved to four seamers with Hardik coming back with him playing the fourth seamer. That's the combination we wanted. I want to be prepared for all the challenges going up to the World Cup."
As per reports in PTI, Avesh has been ruled out of the remainder of the Asia Cup. Deepak Chahar, who was on the standby list, has been added to the main squad.
India will lock horns with Afghanistan in their final Super 4 game against Afghanistan on Thursday. Besides winning the match, they will have to depend on other teams' results to make it to the final.