Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka admitted the batters should have tightened their technique after their ignominious loss of 10 wickets against India in the Asia Cup final at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Sunday. Sri Lanka was blown away for only 50 runs, their second-lowest total in ODIs, by the Indian pace battery after Shanaka won the toss and decided to bat first.
However, things didn’t turn out as Shanaka would have hoped for as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Kusal Perera in the very first over. From there on, it was Mohammed Siraj’s show as the right-arm pacer returned with figures of 6-21 in the seven overs he bowled.
There was swing and seam on offer in the overcast conditions and the Indian pacers made the most of the conditions by bowling the right line and length. However, Shanaka feels they could have shown a bit more resistance but they had no answers whatsoever.
In fact, only two Sri Lankan batters could reach the double digits whereas there were five ducks in their innings.
Dasun Shanka said in the post-match presentation, “It was an outstanding bowling display from Siraj. I thought it’ll be a good pitch for batters, but overcast conditions played a part. Tough day for us at the office. We could’ve tightened our technique and would’ve helped batters settle in and free their arms later.
Meanwhile, irrespective of the one-side final, there were some positives for Sri Lanka, especially the all-round performance of Dinuth Wellalage, who scalped a five-wicket haul and also scored 42 runs against India in the Super Fours.
Speaking on the positives from the tournament despite a crunching loss in the final, Shanaka said, “Lots of positives. The way Sadeera and Kusal batted against spin, Also the way Asalanka batted. These three will score heavily in good batting conditions in India. We know how to bounce back from tough situations. We came into the final beating good sides. It’s a big plus. Players will continue good cricket from the last couple of years. I would like to thank the supporters who came in numbers. Sorry about the fact we disappointed you. Still thanks for the great support. And congrats to the Indian team.”
Sri Lanka will play their first warm-up match against Bangladesh ahead of the ODI World Cup on September 29 in Guwahati.
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