India through to Asia Cup finals beating Sri Lanka by 41 runs in fourth Super 4 match
Colombo/IBNS/UNI: Kuldeep Yadav nailed the 13-match winning spree of Sri Lanka in ODIs with a 4-wicket haul, guiding India to the Asia Cup finals at R Premadasa Stadium here on Tuesday.
Chasing 214 was not an easy task for the hosts as spinners were getting spin and turning off the track. Jasprit Bumrah (2/30) and Mohammad Siraj (1/17) picked up three wickets to dent the top order of the hosts, and when Sadeera Samarawickrama (17) and Charith Asalanka (22) came in, they forged a 43 runs useful stand for the fourth wicket.
Kuldeep however destroyed Sri Lanka's dreams by breaking the stand. Ravindra Jadeja took charge and reduced Sri Lanka to 99/6, but Dimuth Wellalage (42 no off 46 balls 3x4s 1x6) and Dananjaya de Silva brought the chase on track with a vital 63 runs stand for the 7th wicket.
At that stage, Sri Lanka had their nose in front but De Silva was caught by Shubman Gill off Jadeja for a well-made 41 off 66 balls with five boundaries.
Wellalage hung in there, but others lost their wickets frequently. The pitch did not help the spinners as much as it was doing for Sri Lanka in the first innings, where their spinners hauled all 10 wickets.
Despite this, the Indian bowlers dug their feet in and attacked Sri Lankan batsmen and fielded exceedingly well. With this result, Bangladesh are out of the final dash.
Earlier, India started off the innings strongly, but were bowled out for 213 inside 50 overs, thanks to Sri Lankan spinners.
India seemed to post yet another gargantuan total as they did against Pakistan last evening, but Wellalage (5/40) changed things in Sri Lanka's favour. He dismissed top three Indian batsmen Gill (19), Virat Kohli (3) and Rohit Sharma (53), and then prize wickets of KL Rahul (39) and Hardik Pandya (5). But Charith Aslanka sprung a surprise who complimented Wellalage with figures of 4/18 in 9 overs on a quick turner.
After Rohit and Gill stitched an 80-run partnership for the first wicket in 67 balls, Captain Dasun Shanaka took cognizance of turning balls and immediately lobbed the ball to Wellalage and Asalanka who delivered.
Ishan Kishan made 33 off 61 balls, before he was done in by Asalanka. Ravindra Jadeja (4), Jasprit Bumrah (5) and Kuldeep Yadav (0) did not contribute much and fell cheaply.
IBNS
Senior Staff Reporter at Northeast Herald, covering news from Tripura and Northeast India.
Related Articles

‘Not in our domain’: BCCI on Sunrisers Leeds’ signing of Abrar Ahmed for The Hundred
Mumbai/IBNS: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla on Friday said the Indian cricket board cannot take any step regarding the Sunrisers franchise roping in Pakistani cricketer Abrar Ahmed for the upcoming edition of The Hundred.

Move over men’s cricket: Indian women are dominating the global sports arena
At a time when India is basking in the glory of the men's T20 World Cup triumph, the country's women athletes are steadily making their mark across multiple sporting disciplines, raising hopes of bringing home more laurels in the years ahead.

IPL 2026 schedule out! RCB vs SRH to kick off season on March 28
Mumbai/IBNS: The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has announced the schedule for the first phase of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, to be played from March 28 to April 12, 2026.

This ex-Indian cricketer believes Sanju Samson can be next T20 skipper
Former Indian batsman Mohammad Kaif feels that opener Sanju Samson can serve as the next Indian captain in the shortest format after his electrifying performance in the T20 World Cup.
Latest News

Strait of Hormuz: 3 Indian sailors killed, one Indian-flagged oil tanker clears conflict zone

Helios Luxe brings German watchmaker Alexander Shorokhoff into an exclusive strategic partnership

Tinder’s biggest update yet: AI matchmaking, astrology dating and video speed chats unveiled

Tripura reports 8.33 pc drop in crime; achieves major gains in literacy, tourism and farmer support

