IND VS SL - Super Four, Match 3 (A1 v B1), Asia Cup 2022

It was a battle of the same ideology -- of going hard, and then going harder when the going got tough. In the end, of course it looked like Shanaka the batsman winning it for Sri Lanka. But it was Shanaka the bowler who was the difference. India were a victim of a team combination that didn't allow for any of their bowlers to have a bad day, and that's where they once again fell apart. Hope you enjoyed reading us, and for now I, Vineet Anantharaman, sign off on behalf of Sagar Chawla and our scorer, Naga. Until tomorrow, where a Pakistan win would make the rest of the Super Fours meaningless, ta ta!!

Dasun Shanaka | Winning captain | MoM: The environment in the team set the tone. It is what gave us the confidence. The batting unit won it for us. The bowlers bowled well in patches, Dilshan and Theekshana in particular. The Indian batsmen came hard, but we did well to keep them to 173. We had a good dicussion after the first game. We know what we can do in this tournament. Pathum and Mendis set the tone for us, and then Rajapaksa and me finished it off. Due to the team combination, Chamika bowls four overs for us, and that is why I don't have to bowl my full quota of overs. I just have to take decisions on the basis of what the team needs.

Rohit Sharma | Losing captain: We just ended up on the wrong side, as simple as that. We could have capitalized on the first half of our innings. We fell 10-15 runs short. The second half wasn't good for us. The guys who were out in the middle can learn about what shots can be played. These things can happen. Losses like these will make us understand what works as a team. With the ball, it was a good effort to take it to the last over considering the start they had. The spinners bowled aggressively and got wickets in the middle overs, but Sri Lanka held their nerve. We thought with the bigger boundary we could use the spinners well. But the plan didn't work out. Their right-handers batted for very long. I thought of bringing in Hooda and using the longer boundaries. But I was happy with the three seamers. Unfortunately Avesh hasn't turned up well in the fitness tests. He didn't respond well because he was quite sick. Ideally the combination we would play is four seamers, but three seamers was something we wanted to try before the World Cup. We need to find answers as a team, like where we are with five bowlers. We know now where we stand with this combination. No long term worries, we have lost only two games back to back. Since the last World Cup, we haven't lost too many games. These games will teach us. We wanted to put ourselves under pressure in the Asia Cup. We are still looking for answers. These were two back to back games of close finishes. Have to give a lot (of credit) to Arshdeep for bowling at the death and for the way he bowled. Chahal and Bhuvi are the senior pros and have been doing it for a while. I need to get answers from the younger ones.

Kusal Mendis: Very happy. Me and Pathum batted very well. Best partnership for us in this tournament. Did a lot of practice in SL in the last six months. Coaches told me to play normal game. Me and Pathum not powerhitters - we try to hit the gaps. That's the good option for us. We have powerhitters in the middle order.

If Pakistan beat Afghanistan tomorrow, India & Afghanistan both will be eliminated.

Shanaka last three T20Is vs India
47*(19)
74*(38)
33*(18)

This is the first time India have lost back to back T20Is in a series under Rohit Sharma's captaincy.

21:47 Local Time, 17:47 GMT, 23:17 IST: Not to be. Just not to be. Sri Lanka won't let it be. After nearly choking, they've turned the pressure around, and have inflicted a choke. And now India, have one foot on the flight back home. A proper see-sawing game this. From it looking done at the halfway mark with Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka smashing the hapless bowling around, to Chahal tossing the ball up, and spinning the game back in India's favour, to the Sri Lankan middle-order feeling the heat and succumbing to some tentative cricket, to Dasun Shanaka once again stealing the show at the death, and to Pant and Arshdeep just not being able to knock three stumps down from a distance of ten feet. Oh it had everything. Okay, and we now have the presentations..

Arshdeep Singh to Shanaka, byes, 2 runs, madness. Proper madness. Unnecessary madness. Arshdeep bowls a really good back of a length delivery, beating Shanaka successfully. Pant has all three stumps to aim at, and he misses. Rajapaksa wasn't even in the frame. Arshdeep then has all three stumps to aim at, and he misses as well. Shanaka wasn't in the frame either. And his bat got stuck to the ground as well. No. No. They'll run back now, and celebrate..

Rahul now walks in for a word of advice. Third man is still in. Fine leg is deep.

Arshdeep Singh to Rajapaksa, 1 run, real good delivery again -- 142kph, full, tailing in, cramping Rajapaksa up as he goes flicking, with the ball taking the inside-edge and popping up off the pad towards point

3 runs | 3 balls. Rohit comes over for some advice. Pandya walks in as well to chip in.

Arshdeep Singh to Rajapaksa, 2 runs, right, it's down to a run a ball. Another near yorker, which Rajapaksa digs out towards long-on, and they are helped by Kohli's weak off-target throw to make the second easily ..

Arshdeep Singh to Shanaka, 1 run, 142kph, no, it's the inswinging yorker on middle-stump. Drilled to cover in the circle

6 runs | 5 balls. Square leg comes in. Fine leg goes back. Third man is in, and is very fine as well. Could this be short?

Arshdeep Singh to Rajapaksa, 1 run, proper perfect yorker, 140kph, swinging in right in the blockhole on middle-stump. Rajapaksa's sitting deep in his crease to target mid-wicket, but he can only jam this one out

Arshdeep Singh [3.0-0-35-0] is back into the attack

7 runs | 6 balls. Okay, Bhuvi couldn't redeem himself. Arshdeep needs a miracle to do his bit of redemption. He really doesn't have anything to play around with.

Bhuvneshwar to Rajapaksa, 1 run, 120kph, a slower one, on a lengtn, on the stumps. Sensibly, softly, tapped in front of point

Bhuvneshwar to Shanaka, 1 run, full, outside off again. Jammed towards cover