Indian bowlers rout clueless Sri Lanka as they storm into Asian Games final.Sri Lanka’s batters showed no fight in semi final mismatch.
BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.(eLanka Sports Editor)
A fired up India reacted savagely and destroyed Sri Lanka’s Asian games aspirations storming into the final with a crushing 124-run win in Nisshin, Japan.
Asked to bat first by Sri Lanka skipper Sahan Arachchige, India found the going tough as Sri Lanka’s bowlers held them in check and in fact looked like running through them for a gettable total.
But a brilliant knock from Ishan Kishan 80 not out off 46 balls, let them off the hook as they escaped to 169 for 7 in their allotment.
Kishan lifted India from a precarious position as India’s batters floundered around him with only three Indians reaching double figures.
Losing six for 125 in 15 overs, the star studded India batting looked in dire straits.
But a useful fighting innings by Sooryavanshi 38 off 21 balls at the top and Ishan Kishan’s 80 not out, gave India a reasonable target to defend.
They need not have worried as fearsome Jasprit Bumrah rattled the Sri Lanka top order leaving them 0 for 2 and with the aid of Axaar Patel they got to work on a clueless batting line-up that crumbled to 45 all out in less than half the allotted 20 overs..
It was a poor effort by a talented squad picked for the Games who unfortunately came up against a pumped up and formidable India squad that had most of their best players bent on adding Gold to their already large swag of medal success.
Unlike India, Sri Lanka’s squad was their second best and the performance against one of the best in the world could not have been more evident.
India appeared to show some compassion after the batting collapse, resting Bumrah and Patel after their devastating early spells.
But it counted for little as the rest of the attack made short work of a team with no answers falling cheaply to the rest of the bowlers.
Sri Lanka’s pathetic effort with the bat was nothing short of disgraceful with only Nuwanindu Fernando making double figures 15 off 11, with six ducks, (one, not out), a sorry reflection of their ability. Extras was next best on 11.
They lost two wickets without a score on the board, then 3 for 2 and then at 18 for 5 the writing was on the wall.
Bumrah grabbed 2 for 7 off 2 overs, Axar Patel 2 for 8 off 3 and Abhisheck Sharma 2 for 2 off five balls in the Indian demolition job.
Sri Lanka lost the last three wickets much like the start, without a run scored.
Sri Lanka will need to recover quickly from the demoralising hammering when they play off for Bronze with the loser of Pakistan and Bangladesh who battle it out for a place in the final.
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