At the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday, India will face the defending Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka, and is not in a very strong position to win.
The top five batsmen for India are Rohit Sharma (53), Shubman Gill (19), Virat Kohli (3), KL Rahul (39), and Hardik Pandya (5). Dunith Wellalage, a spinner from Sri Lanka, has been on a tear recently. The spinner’s performance, which was aided by the R. Premadasa Stadium pitch, is receiving a warm reception on social media.
Indian starters got off to a strong start against Sri Lanka in their second Super 4 stage encounter. Rohit Sharma, the team’s captain, struck back-to-back boundaries to put the Sri Lankan bowlers on their heels. Although Shubman Gill got off to a poor start, he was starting to pick up speed when Dunith Wellalage bowled him.
LIVE updates for India vs. Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2023, can be found here.
Soon after handing Dasun Shanaka a catch on a delivery from Dunith Wellalage, Virat Kohli was also making his way back to the pavilion. The sudden loss of two wickets in a row stunned India, but Dunith Wellalage was not finished; in his subsequent over, he also dismissed skipper Rohit Sharma.
Despite being forced to execute a difficult shot and having his own catch taken by KL Rahul, Dunith Wellalage still managed to outperform Sri Lanka’s formidable bowling attack. In an effort to save India from the recent string of crumbling wickets, Hardik Pandya was pushed back into the pavilion by Dunith Wellalage.
Here are some responses to Dunith Wellalage’s bowling on the internet.
Ravichandran Ashwin of India made the observation, “That ball from Wellalage to Gill is a dream ball for any spinner, but more importantly, a big endorsement to the triple spin threat.”
That ball from Wellalage to Gill is a dream ball for any spinner, but most importantly a big endorsement to the triple spin threat.#AsiaCup2023 #INDvsSL
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) September 12, 2023
Five wicket haul by Dunith Wellalage.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 12, 2023
He absolutely bossed the Indian batting order! pic.twitter.com/OK9zNU5e7o
With Ravindra Jadeja (three fours) and Axar Patel (two fours) at the crease, India is now playing at 175/6 in 38 overs. To get the score to manageable levels and allow the Indian bowlers an opportunity to challenge Sri Lankan hitters, India needs a strong partnership. If Sri Lanka defeats India today, it will move extremely near to the championship game, and India’s future may depend on the final net run rate (NRR).
