Asia Cup 2022: Will Team India qualify for the final if Afghanistan defeats Pakistan in Super 4?

Chasing 173, Sri Lanka reached home for the loss of four wickets and one ball to spare. With his win, Dasun Shanaka-led side has almost confirmed a place in the final while India’s hopes now hang in the balance. For Sri Lanka, openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis smashed fluent half-centuries in the big run chase and laid the foundation for a memorable victory. The opening duo shared a solid stand of 97 runs and pushed the Indian bowling line-up on the back foot.

Later, captain Dasun Shanaka and Bhanuka Rajapksa showed great composure after the mini top-order collapse in the middle overs. It was their unbeaten stand of 64 runs that helped their team secure a sensational victory over mighty Indians. Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal – who had a disappointing performance in the tournament – tried to bring India back in the game with triple strikes and he even got some support from off-spinner R Ashwin – who also picked up a wicket. However, the pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh failed to contain the Sri Lankan batters.

Also Read: IND vs SL, Asia Cup 2022: SL wins by thrilling 6 WKTS!

There is still a chance for India to reach the Final, maybe the last chance

Arshdeep – who again had the tough task of defending 6 runs in the final over – bowled his heart out but didn’t have enough runs to defend but the youngster again took the game deep in the final over. For India, who failed to defend another total in excess of 170 for the second consecutive time in the tournament, batting and pace bowling was a major letdown tonight. Rohit Sharma was the only positive with the bat as the captain smashed 72 of 41 balls and was the top scorer.

The second successive defeat in the Super 4 has definitely hit Rahul Dravid & his team’s chances of qualification in the final. But their fate now lies in the hands of Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. For Team India to make it to the finals, they will have to first hope that Afghanistan defeats Pakistan in the third Super 4 encounter. Afghanistan – who are coming on the back of a defeat against Sri Lanka – will take on Pakistan on Wednesday (September 7) at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

India will hope Mohammed Nabi & his band come out victorious against Babar Azam’s Pakistan. Team India will then hope that Sri Lanka registers its third successive Super 4 game which is against Pakistan. Simultaneously, India will then aim to get past Afghanistan and register a win by a sizeable margin to improve its net run rate. Only then the Men In Blue will have an outside chance of making it to the final.