Sri Lanka Elects To Bat In Asia Cup Final Against India

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka, the defending champions, have won the coin toss and opted to bat first in the Asia Cup final today at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

While co-hosts Sri Lanka didn’t begin the tournament as favorites, given the presence of the top-ranked ODI team Pakistan and a strong Indian team, they have capitalized on the home advantage.

Read more : India vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2023 Live Streaming Details

In the Super 4 stage, Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by two wickets, earning them a spot in the final against India. In the last league match of the Super 4 round, Bangladesh managed to beat India by 6 runs. Indian opener Shubman Gill, who hadn’t scored a century since January, emerged as India’s top-scorer against Bangladesh.

In the Super 4 game, India defeated Sri Lanka by 41 runs, although Sri Lanka’s spinners played a pivotal role in taking all the Indian wickets, with breakout star Dunith Wellalage dismissing five of India’s six top-order batsmen.

Despite the spin threat posed by the home team, India is bolstered by the impressive form of their top-order batsmen, with three of them scoring centuries in the last two matches.

Team news:
– For India, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav are expected to return to the side after being rested for the match against Bangladesh.

– For Sri Lanka, a hamstring injury has ruled out Maheesh Theekshana, and the off-spinning all-rounder might be replaced by leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha.