India vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2025 Reactions after India defeat Sri Lanka in dramatic Super Over

Here's what Charith Asalanka, Sri Lanka captain, said after the Super 4 defeat to India.

"It was a fabulous game, of course. I think we were in the game and we were handling the game pretty nicely until Varun and Kuldeep bowled those really nice overs. It was unbelievable hitting (by Nissanka and Perera). They (India) got really experienced bowlers but they (Nissanka and Perera) batted extremely well," said Asalanka.

Asked what his message was for the team before the Super Over, he said: "I just said to score as many runs as you can (smiles). Lot of positives throughout the Asia Cup. We have been playing good cricket but we could not manage to win in the last two games. As captain, lot of positives in the side."

“First things first, he’s like an ice. When the pressure is on, he asks for the ball and bowls. In the end overs, he is ready to bowl his yorkers. He bowls yorkers in tandem with Jasprit Bumrah [when both play together]. He is a bowler of that quality. For me, it’s nothing new. I have been saying from the first day that he should be in the playing XI,” Irfan said, speaking on Sony Sports. (Read more)

Indian men's hockey team vice-captain Hardik Singh, an an event in India, reportedly mimicked the infamous fighter jet gesture done by Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf at the ongoing Asia Cup.

Talking about the India and Pakistan rivalry in hockey, Hardik pointed out that just like in cricket, the Indian hockey players didn't think of the Pakistan hockey team as rivals anymore.

The numbers back this claim. India have dominated Pakistan in the last 10 fixtures: winning eight and drawing the remaining two in the last 10 games between the two neighbouring countries.

"I think that right now there is no competition, so there is no point about talking about it, there is no doubt in the widening gap. Because the way things are going these days, I think it is not there only," said Hardik while talking at the India Today Conclave Mumbai.

The jet gesture was made by Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf when he fielding at the boundary ropes in an Asia Cup game against India and the fans were trolling him.

Hardik, talking about the reasons behind Pakistan hockey team's decline, said: "I think their federation. I think their athletes are quite good, but they are not getting facilities. Like in 2014, they had won against us the last time. Since 2014, Pakistan has not won against India in hockey. Sir, 2014. So I think that in the last what, like twelve years? Yes we didn’t lose a match."

"I think that what hockey has given us, I think no other game can give that. Because when in 2021 our Olympic medal came, I mean the wave that went across the whole country, that hockey medal has come after forty years, and then back-to-back medals came. I think that feeling, I think no other feeling can be like that," Hardik concluded.

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India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf have been found guilty of breaching the International Cricket Council’s code of conduct at the ongoing Asia Cup in the UAE, reports Venkata Krishna B.

After the hearings that concluded Friday, match referee Richie Richardson has fined both players 30 per cent of their match fee, while another Pakistan player Sahibzada Farhan has been let off with a warning for his gun celebration after reaching 50.

After Suryakumar’s remarks about the terror attack in Pahalgam and dedication of India’s win over Pakistan to the Indian armed forces, the Pakistan Cricket Board filed a complaint with the ICC, alleging that the Indian captain made political comments.

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“Look, my message to the players is just focus on cricket and that certainly we will be doing. In terms of gestures there has always been passion in terms of high-pressure games,” said New Zealander Hesson. (Read more)

Former Pakistan pacer Akhtar has spent the last few weeks criticizing Pakistan team’s performances during his appearances on panel discussion shows back home in Pakistan. But after the side defeated Bangladesh and qualified for the final, Akhtar showered praise on the team, while claiming they were good enough to defeat the Indian side, which is so far undefeated in the Asia Cup.

“We need to break out of this mindset, break down the hawa (aura) that has been built around the Indian team, and go in with the same attitude we had today against Bangladesh. Take India on. That’s the kind of attitude you need. And please remember we don’t need to go in thinking we have to bowl 20 overs. No! we need to get them out. When you go out to get them out, even India will realize they have to fight to score runs and that they won’t get any free runs,” Akhtar said on the Game On Hai show on PTV Sports. “Pakistan has to move beyond this, forget about India being the number one team. We have the number one fast bowler in Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf is as quick as anyone in the world today. So there’s no issue if you go in with this attitude.”

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India captain Suryakumar Yadav, speaking after India's Super Over victory over Sri Lanka on Friday, said that the game "felt like a final".

"The boys showed a lot of character after the first half in the second innings. Told them to play this like a semi-final. Get everyone close in, have good energy and then let's see what happens. Good to be on the winning side. To have that start, and then someone like Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma batting that way and taking the tempo ahead from where Abhishek left," said Yadav.

The Indian captain also heaped praise on Sanju Samson, who instead of opening as he prefers now plays down the order for India, and Arshdeep Singh, who has spent plenty of time on the bench in UAE.

"Sanju not opening, going down the order, taking responsibility and Tilak taking confidence and responsibility, that was good to see. Arshdeep has been in that situation a lot of time and he has delivered for us. I only told him to back your own plans and not to think about anything. We are already in the finals, but have your own plans and execute it. I have seen him execute his plans, do really well for India and his IPL franchise. His confidence says it all and no one but Arshdeep for that Super Over."

Yadav added: "Let's have a good recovery tonight. Let us not think about that (the final) right now. Few boys had a lot of cramps today. Have a good recovery day tomorrow and we will turn up the same way we did today. What I wanted from the boys, just trying to execute their plans, be clear and not to fear, that was really important and I am sure everyone got what they wanted. Happy to be in the final."

Who will India be sending to bat? Abhishek? No, it's Gill and Suryakumar Yadav to chase 3 in the over. Hasaranga to bowl. And they take 3 runs off the first ball. How easy was that?? What an absolute thriller of a match!! It had everything but in the end, India just scraped past a very game Sri Lanka team

We are now in the Super Over. Arshdeep to bowl for India and Shanaka and Perera to start. AAAND PERERA IS GONE!! Arshdeep strikes!! If they lose another, their innings is over. Kamindu the new man in and he tries a reverse scoop and gets just a single. Shanaka on strike and he swings and misses. Brilliant from Arshdeep. 3 balls left. And a wide. AND A RUN OUT. ALL OVER. SL are out of wickets. Wait a second, they are checking a caught behind as SL had reviewed while Sanju has run out Shanaka. And it's a dead ball because the umpire had given out off caught behind and it wasn't a caught behind. So it was a dead ball. And the run out won't count either And nothing much happened next over for SL as Shanaka is gone.

Last over. 12 runs. Aand would you know it!! He has struck as he sends Nissanka back!! Liyanage the nw man in and he gets it high but the fielder can't reach it. just 2 followed by 1 bye. 9 from 3 and shanaka takes 2 more runs. 7 from 2 balls now. And Shanaka gets it wrong next ball but gets 4 runs!! Huge edge!! 3 from 1 now. A boundary will win it and 2 runs will draw this one. And scores are tied!! It's going to be a Super Over!!

On to the penultimate over now and Sri Lanka need 20 off the last 10 deliveries. Very, very close. A dot ball again as Arshdeep keeps it tight. Ohhhh wide now. Not what they want at the moment. And a single next. They nee a boundary here. Aand a wide again!! And he gives a full toss and that's a four to end!!

SL 191/4 after 19 overs

Arshdeep to bowl the 17th and starts with a dot ball. Kamindu with a single to give strike to Nissanka. He takes a single as well. Tight over so far. AAAND THAT'S ANOTHER DOWN!! Kamindu goes high and Axar Patel takes the catch. Makes it look easy. But Nissanka isn't stopping, smashing a 6 off the last ball for his 100

Kamindu Mendis c Axar b Arshdeep Singh 3(7)

Kuldeep to finish his spell with this over and he has struck!! Asalanka tries for a big shot, gets the bottom of the bat and has holed out to Gill

Asalanka c Gill b Kuldeep Yadav 5(9)

Varun will continue and Nissanka starts this one off with a 4!! Gets to 90 runs. Brilliant running to mine 2 more!! Asalanka swings and misses the next ball!! And he goes high next and that just evades Rinku in the deep. Luck is firmly on SL's side tonight.

SL 157/2 after 15 overs

Axar brought back now and Nissanka mines 3 runs from the first couple of deliveries. Asalanka on strike now and that slid down leg for a dot. Nissanka back on strike and he slams a four towards deep midwicket!! Sloppy fielding now for SL to get 3 off the last ball.

SL 147/2 after 14 overs

Varun to bow l the next one and he strikes!!! Finally something breaks India's way. Perera tries to come out and slog and misses, giving Samson the opportunity to take off the bails!!

Kusal Perera st Samson b Varun Chakaravarthy 58(32)

Kuldeep on the attack and back to back dots!! Those have been a rarity this match. Follows that up with another dot. Finally off strike with a single goes Nissanka. Good over by Kuldeep. Just 4 off this one.

SL 134/1 after 12 overs

Back after the break and Sri Lanka are threatening to overhaul this target. Rana in the attack and Perera slices the first ball for a four!! Tries to go to the same area again but the fielder gets to it. A rare dot ball as Rana takes the pace off the surface. Nissanka swings again and gets a SIX!! India getting pummeled here!! Uff!! Cuts the ball next and places it to the third man boundary for 4!!!

SL 130/1 after 11 overs

We'll be half way through after this over and Varun is back. Just 3 runs from the first couple of deliveries. Oh dear dear!! He has smashed one over the ropes but it's a dead ball!! That's why it was given a dead ball. Huge relief for India. But they can't find an avenue to escape as Nissanka smashes a six over long on!!

SL 114/1 after 10 overs

Kuldeep continues and after missing a sweep, Nissanka takes a single off the second ball. Perera cuts next and easily gets 2 more. Pulls the next one and that's gone over the deep midwicket ropes for a flat six!! Pulls away again in the same region for a four!! 100 up for SL and 50 for Perera!!

SL 103/1 after 9 overs

Varun Chakravarthy in the attack now and yields three singles from the first three deliveries. And Perera can't be kept quiet as he slogs the 4th ball for a four!! He keeps getting these gaps. Nissanka brought back on strike and with a single off the last ball, he gets to 50.

SL 89/1 after 8 overs

Kuldeep Yadav brought into the attack in over immediately after powerplay and he is slog swept for a four!! Follows that up with 2 runs. Gives the strike to Nissanka with a single who returns the favour. 9 from the over ultimately.

SL 81/1 after 7 overs

Axar in the attack and Perera sweeps to backward square leg and it has gone through Harshit Rana for a four!! The spotlight is firmly on Rana now and it has to be feeling hot under the collars. And Perera with another boundary as pressure mounts on Axar.

SL 72/1 after 6 overs

Rana steams in for the fifth and that has hit Nissanka on his helmet. He is getting checked for concussion now. He's good to go and he picks up the next ball for a four!! Goes even better next as he smashes the next one for a 6!!! Striking over 230 now. 50 up for Sri Lanka. Rana tries a slower and Nissanka with a six again!! Surya has a wry smile on his face.

SL 61/1 after 5 overs

Arshdeep continues and Nissanka continues swinging but can't get boundaries. Can't get a clean connection. As i was typing, he does get a clean stroke, smashing it over the ropes for a SIX!!! Goes off side next and finds the ropes again even if it's mistimed!!

SL 45/1 after 4 overs

Harshit Rana in the attack and starts with a bit of inswing as Nissanka plays an unsure shot to get 2. Meanwhile, Hardik has gone off the field with a niggle and Rinku Singh has replaced him in the field. And Perera slaps the next ball for a 4!! And ends the over with another four which is miss-hit and goes over the slips and to the boundary!!

SL 30/1 after 3 overs

Arshdeep Singh in the attack now. He is India's first-ever bowler to take 100 T20I wickets, completing the feat in the only other match he has played this tournament- against Oman. He starts with a single before Perera pulls the next one for 3 runs. Nissanka looks in a bit of discomfort here, moving a little laboriously. Doesn't bode well for SL. Meanwhile, Perera smacks the fourth ball over mid on for a four!!

SL 18/1 after 2 overs

Welcome back to live action. Hardik Pandya has the ball in hand and Pathum Nissanka rides the bounce and punches the first ball for a boundary to start!! Goes again, does not get the proper connection to just get 2 before giving the strike to Kusal Mendis. AAAND HE'S GONE!! Big edge from Mendis and that's gone straight to Gill in the slips!!

Kusal Mendis c Gill b Hardik Pandya 0(1)

Axar Patel's six off the final ball took India over 200 runs, which is quite a mammoth total in these conditions. Once again, as we have mentioned in our initial update, the form of Sri Lanka with the ball has been coincidental with the form of Nuwan Thushara. The seamer had another ordinary day up top, and Sri Lanka ended up conceding 20-30 too many. As per Indian batting, it is Abhishek Sharma yet again who does the job early on, and in the end, Tilak Varma batted quite nicely to take the side over 200. We will be right back after the break for the chase. Do stay with us.

That is a decent over from Theekshana. It was quite a gamble to use him at this stage of the game but he is quite a canny bowler, and he has used all the street-smartness against two left-handers, Tilak and Axar Patel, at the crease. However, India is 189, which is 15-20 more with an over remaining.

This is a superb innings from Tilak. How magnificent he has become in batting through those middle overs for both the Mumbai Indians and India. The advantage of playing in most batting positions in the middle order has made him adaptable to all conditions. In the game against Pakistan, he has shown his finishing prowess today. He has shown his ability to construct the innings through the middle order, and now is all set to accelerate and take India over 200 which will be an uphill total to chase for Sri Lanka.

Well, since our last update, India has lost two more. First, it was Dasun Shanka who broke the partnership between Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma as the former mistimed one and hit it straight to the long-on fielder, and then it was Chammera who managed to get the wicket of Hardik Pandya. It was length ball which Hardik tried to play on the leg-side and skied it, and Chameera took a brilliant catch. A lot of what India will get from this point on in this game will depend on how many runs Tilak will get from here.

Sanju Samson has got himself off to a start here. He has been quite proactive today generally. Samson was to rotate strike and get himself in before unleashing, which is what he tried to do against Pakistan, which backfired, but today the wicket seems to be lot more kind and the ball is coming nicely onto the bat, and Samson has been able to smack the bowlers all around the ground. As per Sri Lanka these worrying signs for them India are scoring at 10s and the chase will be quite tricky for them against the Indian spinners.

This is superb batting from India. Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson have started well in the middle and Sri Lankan bowling which has looked decent before this game is falling apart at the moment also a tale of caution for the Indian batting will from around this time is when they lost their way against Bangladesh and the nature of this Dubai surface is such that it can happen again and to avoid that one of these two should keep batting till the 17-18th over for India to get to that 180-190 mark which has been quite far fetched for teams in this tournament.

Tilak Varma has looked in superb touch so far in this game. He has looked the most organized after Abhishek Sharma in this tournament. On the other hand, Sanju Samson has come into the middle, and India would want him to spend some time in the middle as well. There has been a lot of discussion ahead of the tournament on how he will fare at that number. To be fair to him, he did not get an opportunity such as this. Today, he has time to get himself in through the middle overs and accelerate in the final stages.

Well, usually Gambhir is a big advocate of having a left-hander and right-hander in the middle, but this time, with sending Tilak Varma with Abhishek already being there, it does seem like he has altered the game plan for this game. As we update, Charith Asalanka has nabbed a wicket. It was a short one, which was asked to put away, and Abhishek obliged, but he managed to get the toe-end of the bat, and Kamindu Mendis on the boundary at mid-wicket took the catch. India has lost three wickets and, most importantly, they have lost Abhishek, who has been the leading run scorer for the side in the tournament.

Against the run of play, a wicket has fallen here, and it is the skipper Suryakumar Yadav with another low score to his name. The batter tried to sweep the ball and missed Hasaranga's fuller one and was given out on-field. The decision was sent upstairs, and there were three reds on the ball-tracking. Tilak Varma walks into the middle for India, and what India would want is for him to spend some time in the middle and get a score for himself. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma is doing what Abhishek Sharma does, getting India off to flyer in this series.

On to the last over of the powerplay and India are absolutely cruising here with Abhishek and Surya looking ominous. Thushara to bowl this one and Abhishek slaps ne down the ground but it's just saved near the ropes by Asalanka. Gives a full toss next and that's easy pickings for Abhishek as he smashes it over extra cover for a four. AAAND brings up the pull shot for another 4 to bring up his half century, the third on the trot.

IND 71/1 after 6 overs

On to the 4th and Theekshana will continue. Almost strikes to take out Abhishek off the first ball but it falls safely. Surya on strike now and he mines 3 runs from the next couple of deliveries. And he follows it up with an overpitched delivery which is pounced on by Surya who brings out a delightful cover drive for a 4!!!

IND 44/1 after 4 overs

After losing Shubamn Gill, Abhishek Sharma refuses to slow down as he belts Nuwan Thushara for back to back boundaries in the third over. The Sri Lanka bowler does not help himself as he oversteps and gives away a no ball which is slapped for a four.

IND 36/1 after 3 overs

Maheesh Theekshana has picked up the first wicket here. It is once again the nature of the Dubai wicket that did the undoing of Shubman Gill. It was a nice, quicker, and flatter one, and Gill ended up his shot too early and ended up giving the return catch to Theekshana. That is another failure for Gill this series. After a blistering series in England, this has been a tournament that has not gone according to plan for Gill. Suryakumar Yadav has walked into the middle, and he too will be needing runs.

Nuwan Thushara has started here for Sri Lanka. He has been their best bowler in the tournament, and his superb performances have coincided with Sri Lanka's success in the tournament. Once his form dipped, so did Sri Lanka's performance. Although he is not a Shaheen Shah Afridi, he presents his own set of challenges, and the Indian batters, both Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, will get a good run for their money surviving in his first spell, especially in these Dubai conditions where the ball moves quite a bit in the first innings.

The national anthems are done, and the game is all set to start. While it is a dead rubber from a tournament perspective, India would still not want to lose any momentum going into the final on Sunday. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will just want to end the tournament on a high note by defeating the defending champions.

Finishing the games is something I always look forward to and it came against Pakistan and I am happy that I could do the job. Since the last couple of years I have been batted at different positions and Gauti sir said to be flexible and I try to play according to the situation. I do love a lot of fitness, got inspired by Virat Kohli and he is someone who has taken the fitness standard to next level, so yes I do spend a lot of time in the gym. The wickets have been on the slower side (here in Dubai)and I have already spoken to Surya that it (today's pitch) is slightly better for batting. When compared to Indian conditions, the surface and outfield is a bit slow here.

Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka(c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushar

Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy

Just continue doing what we have been doing. We were actually looking to bat first. Good atmosphere, good game and we are looking forward to it. It is part of the game (dropped catches). We have two changes - Bumrah and Dube are out, Arshdeep and Harshit come in.

We are going to bowl first. We know that we can't qualify for the final but it is still an important game for us. It is a good pitch and we want to restrict them to 170-175. They have been doing really well especially our openers. We have one change - Janith Liyange comes in for Chamika Karunaratne.

The difference between the two venues is that Dubai is like a bowl-shaped roof. So the roof is, I think from memory, 48 metres high. It’s creating a different climate within the venue. Where Abu Dhabi has one stand at the end with a thick cap. The rest of it has this open space. So the two venues do behave a little bit differently. However, if the dew is falling in Abu Dhabi, it’s going to fall pretty heavily.

Let’s concentrate on September. In September, your humidity levels have been between 60 and 80 per cent. Therefore, I see temperature drops from, say, 38 to 28 overnight. There’s obviously a change in the atmosphere. Therefore, dew is created now.

(To prevent dew), number one, go-to is do not water the ground on the day of the game. Try and water the ground 36 or 48 hours before. Number two, you use dew-retardant (a substance, coating, or film designed to prevent or minimize the formation of dew, which is condensed water vapor) on the morning of the match. Number three, you’re in a situation where you’re in God’s hands regarding the climate. The only other way you can prevent it from occurring in that sort of atmosphere is to turn on large fans and dry the surface as much as you can. However, once the game starts, you’re not allowed to have fans on.

“After the drubbing we got against New Zealand, I don’t think Gautam Gambhir or Shubman Gill, because it is his first home series as captain, I’m sure he does not want to give even an inch, not even a quarter. I think they are very serious about Test cricket,” Varun Aaron said on ESPN Cricinfo. India has made a lot of accommodation for Bumrah. If you are managing someone’s workload to that extent, you want him in every series. I think they might manage Bumrah’s workload in the ODIs in Australia as well. He might just play two.”

“Toss-up can be a bit overated you don’t toss up these days how you mix it up important gone are the days when you can toss the ball up like you see the last wicket (Tanzim Hasan Sakib) you got Doosara new batter he tempted him to play a shot but there were also balls to Saif (Hassan), which he bowls flat and quick making sure he doesn’t get runs. That’s where he improved his understanding, if he is going to make sure he gives the single and the other batter on strike and probably tosses one up. He has been clever about it,” Karthik.

“He wants to hit boundaries. He wants to take control of the contest against any bowler, pace or spin. Very clear-minded, watches the ball incredibly hard. And then plays with a full bat face, whether he’s playing vertically or horizontally. So, his mindset is attacking,” Helmot says, adding this bit about Abhishek’s training of late. “… it’s not all crash and bash at training. He plays organised cricket shots. Looking to hit boundaries, but still looking to get off strike as well.”

“He’s always aware of the opposition and trains on the basis of who he might be up against. And also considers the conditions in which he’s playing. He doesn’t overhit (in nets before games). He hits the right number of balls, especially for a T20 match. He just wants to make sure he’s in a really positive, clear frame of mind. It depends on where he’s at and what work he’s been doing and what part of the season it is. He’s very intelligent in his preparation, a smart operator.”

“It’s more about his stance. He’s adjusted and slightly… He’s become more relaxed at the crease, not as tense and rigid. He’s able to access both sides of the ground. He’s able to get in really good positions. Doesn’t over-complicate the way in which he plays. He’s quite still at the point of impact,” he says.

“He plays the ball quite late. He presents a wonderful bat face. His head is in a beautiful, steady position. He watches the ball intently and can get himself in easy positions to be able to access various sides of the ground … It’s more mental for Abhi. He’s always been touted with lots of ability and skill, and now we’re seeing that start to flourish. That comes with mental toughness, a greater understanding of your own game.”

“I was speaking to Abhishek Nayar who was the Assistant coach of India and he was telling me how Kuldeep had to go back…he practised a lot in the beach and he had to work to get that much harder to the crease and quite a bit he worked in the sands of any beach that was nearby getting speed through his run up and he could follow through with the ground,” said former Indian player Dinesh Karthik speaking on Cricbuzz.

“I see a similarity with Abhi. He doesn’t try to overhit or overplay in training. I just see that he wants to hit the ball cleanly. Consistently. Putting himself in good positions so he can play any particular delivery that’s put in front of him. That’s where I see a similarity between Yuvraj and Abhi in approach.”

“I see a similarity with Abhi. He doesn’t try to overhit or overplay in training. I just see that he wants to hit the ball cleanly. Consistently. Putting himself in good positions so he can play any particular delivery that’s put in front of him. That’s where I see a similarity between Yuvraj and Abhi in approach.”

“I had the benefit of working with Yuvraj for a couple of years, especially in 2016. And one thing I was always impressed with Yuvraj was whenever I threw balls to him, how little he would try and still hit them for four or six. He was always about making sure he presented a full bat face, and was hitting the ball cleanly. Often, you’d throw balls to Yuvraj, and he would just be playing at what I’d call a tempo 1 or a tempo 2. A drop and run or a punch. In a game situation, Yuvraj could clear the rope as easily as anybody.”

“It was just that initially the ball was skidding on more and as the ball started getting older, I started getting a little bit more purchase from the wicket,"

“In Powerplay, the only aim is to look for wickets. It’s just looking for that one ball if it pitches on that right spot and it turns a little bit and it can edge it. It’s about looking for that because that’s my role in the team. Even if I go for little runs, my aim is to keep on attacking and try to look for more wickets,” he said.

“The harder the ball is, it definitely is not getting much purchase for a spinner. Talking from a spinner’s perspective, if you are bowling in the powerplay or right after the powerplay, there’s not much help from the wicket. But as the game progresses and as the field spreads out, it’s getting better."

The main gist is that the hot and humid weather in Dubai, consistent throughout the Asia Cup, will continue to challenge players, despite them being fully acclimatized after three weeks. Specifically, the high temperature (expected to reach 35∘C) and humidity mean that bowlers will primarily struggle with the ball slipping due to heat-induced sweat, rather than traditional dew which has so far played a minimal role in the second innings.

The cricket pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is known for being a slow, skiddy surface where the ball keeps low, making high scores difficult, with teams struggling to surpass 150-160. Fast bowlers get initial movement, but the surface progressively slows down, bringing spinners into play, as highlighted by teams like Bangladesh and India finding it challenging to either chase low targets or post big totals.

"If we bowl 12-14 good overs, we will win on most occasions"

"We have discussed it, but everything said and done, our guys have been playing spin regularly. They know how to handle the spinners irrespective of the conditions. Having said that, they have some good world-class bowlers in their line-up. If our guys have a positive mindset, we can overcome that"

Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk)/Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav/Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah/Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy

Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (c), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara

Welcome to our liveblog of India taking on Sri Lanka. Although it is a dead rubber from a competition perspective, Pakistan will be watching closely to see if this Indian side has any flaws in them. And as per Sri Lanka, it is just about testing their mettle against the world champions and trying to pluck out a win or at least a few performances to end the tournament on a high. It is going to be a good game, so stay with us to get all the live updates.