17 September,2023 02:34 PM IST | Colombo | mid-day online correspondent
A victory here in the Asia Cup will boost India`s confidence ahead of the quadrennial big bash next month (Pic@bcci/X)
Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and elected to bat against India in the Asia Cup final 2023 at the R. Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
Team India will head into the summit clash as firm favourites despite a few niggling questions still remaining unanswered. The return of Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya for the summit clash will certainly add meat to their batting unit, which struggled against the array of Bangladesh spinners. The Men in Blue will look to snap its five-year trophy draught in multi-nation events.
While Axar Patel is an important component in the Indian set-up and his multiple injuries pose a concern, the Lankans will in fact miss their premier spinner Maheesh Theekshana way more than the opposition due to his right hamstring injury.
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A glance at India's trophy cabinet will reveal the uncomfortable truth of them not winning any titles in the last five years, and Sunday will be a good opportunity for them to snap that unhappy streak. Not to forget a win before getting into the World Cup mode will be the ideal boost for a side which hasn't yet fully ticked all boxes but is showing wy more solidity than one would have thought a few months back.
India's last title, across the three formats, came in 2018 when the Rohit's side beat Bangladesh in the Asia Cup by three wickets in Dubai. Since that victory, India's inability to master crunch matches and occasions has been startling.
A victory here in the Asia Cup will boost their confidence ahead of the quadrennial big bash next month, as they also seek to end a 10-year-long ICC trophy drought. On the other hand, Sri Lanka will feel quietly confident of their chances against India, as the home side is also on a 15-match winning streak in ODIs.
India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul(w), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana
(With agency inputs)
