Asia Cup 2023: 3 players who starred and 2 who flopped for India against Sri Lanka ft. Virat Kohli & Axar Patel
Team India left it late in their Super Four encounter against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Tuesday, September 12, but they secured a 41-run win and sealed their spot in the summit clash of the Asia Cup 2023.
Dunith Wellalage's spirited effort threatened to consign India to their first defeat of the tournament, with the all-rounder picking up five wickets, scoring 42 unbeaten runs, and plucking two catches. However, the Men in Blue held their nerve to get over the line thanks to contributions from almost all their players.
Here are three players who starred and two who flopped for Team India in Match 10 of the Asia Cup 2023 against Sri Lanka.
#5 Star - Kuldeep Yadav
Is Kuldeep Yadav the best ODI spinner in the world right now? Names like Adam Zampa come to mind, but the Indian genius is simply unplayable at the moment.
Kuldeep carried his form from the Pakistan clash, where he picked up five wickets, to the encounter against Sri Lanka. He broke the back of the hosts' middle order by dismissing Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka, just when it seemed like the duo were stitching together a good partnership.
Kuldeep then returned to prise out the last two Sri Lankan batters, castling them to put a stamp on his performance and ensuring that the tail didn't wag any more than was necessary. The wrist-spinner finished with four wickets and bowled 33 dot balls in his 9.3 overs.
#4 Flop - Axar Patel, the bowler
This is a slightly controversial call, since Axar Patel's important 26 after coming in at No. 8 took India to a defendable total. The southpaw's crucial batting contributions in the lower order have helped the Men in Blue out of several difficult situations across formats.
However, Axar's bowling seems to have downgraded over the last year or so, and the same was apparent against Sri Lanka. In a game where spinners from both sides dominated, the left-armer leaked 29 runs in his five overs to have the worst economy rate of the lot.
Axar's lines and lengths weren't on the money. Concerningly, the bite that usually characterizes his bowling was sorely missing.
If India want to play Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in tandem, the latter needs to ensure that he doesn't turn in such performances with the ball.
#3 Star - Jasprit Bumrah
Just how good is Jasprit Bumrah? The ace spearhead has bowled only twice in ODIs since his return from a long-term back injury, but he seems to be better than ever.
Bumrah's new-ball spell was always going to be invaluable against Sri Lanka, with the visitors having only 30 overs of spin to fall back on. He duly delivered, setting the ball rolling by having Pathum Nissanka caught behind the wickets.
Bumrah then dished out another beautiful slower delivery that will be remembered for a while, completely foxing Kusal Mendis and plunging Sri Lanka into further trouble. His five-over spell with the new ball was lethal.
Bumrah finished with figures of 2/30 in seven overs. He appears to be fit and firing on all cylinders in a welcome sign for the Men in Blue ahead of the World Cup 2023.
#2 Flop - Virat Kohli
Almost all 11 Indian players came good against Sri Lanka in some way or the other. Among the top eight batters, only Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja didn't score more than 25 runs apart from Kohli. All three contributed either in the field or with the ball.
Kohli, however, had a tough outing overall. He made three runs before trying to work the ball on the leg-side off Wellalage, only to spoon a simple offering to the catcher at midwicket. His dismissal, on either side of the two openers' started the procession for the Men in Blue.
Kohli is in good nick overall and will likely view the contest as an aberration.
#1 Star - Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma didn't have to face up against spin for the majority of his innings, and that reflected in his returns. Nevertheless, his attacking intent in the powerplay went a long way in fetching India the victory on Tuesday.
Rohit struck seven fours and two sixes in his knock, playing an array of sumptuous shots and ensuring that Sri Lanka didn't get their hooks in before the spinners started. The Indian skipper peppered the leg-side boundary to keep the scoreboard moving.
Rohit was eventually castled by a zooter from Wellalage, but not before he had compiled the highest individual score across both sides. The opener is in excellent form right now.