India clinch Super Over thriller against Sri Lanka to remain unbeaten in Asia Cup 2025
The Super Fours stages of Asia Cup 2025 concluded with a bang as Team India clinched a nail-biting Super Over thriller against Sri Lanka to keep their winning streak alive.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Sri Lanka had early success.
Shubman Gill (4) was sent packing even before India could take flight while Suryakumar Yadav’s (12) off-form continued. However, Abhishek Sharma’s third half-century on the trot saw India accelerate despite losing two of their top order batters cheaply.
Despite losing Sharma (61) and SKY in quick succession, the Men in Blue had enough depth in their batting order to carry on with their rampage. A solid 76-run stand for the fourth wicket between Tilak Varma (49*) and Sanju Samson (39) saw India stabilizing the ship before they went all guns in for a late plunge.
A 40-run partnership for the sixth wicket propelled India past the 200-run mark, registering their first in the latest iteration of the tournament. Axar Patel played the perfect two to tango at the other end, staying unbeaten for 21 off just 15 balls.
India did get an early breakthrough in the form of Kusal Mendis (0) but Sri Lanka found a solid partnership for the second wicket as Pathum Nissanka (107) and Kusal Perera (58) saw off the initial troubles. The duo posted 127 runs together, threatening to canter away to the finish line. It was eventually Varun Chakravarthy who got India the much-needed breakthrough in the form of Perera.
The fall of Perera saw Sri Lanka drop some important momentum before Dasun Shanaka could come in and solidify the innings. From 134/1, Sri Lanka went to 191/5 under mounting pressure. An excellent last couple of overs from Arsheep Singh and Harshit Rana combined with a hint of misfortune that came from fumbles saw Sri Lanka somehow taking the game into a Super Over.
Getting to bat first in the Super Over, Sri Lanka’s centurion, Kusal Perera, fell on the first ball as he holed out to Rinku Singh at deep point. After a full-blown drama on the fourth ball, Arshdeep decided to take matters in his own hands. Shanaka’s wild slice on the fifth ball saw Sri Lanka’s Super Over exploits come to an end a ball before as they could only manage two runs.
Suryakumar Yadav concluded proceedings for India on the first ball itself, stealing away three runs as India registered their sixth win on the trot, preparing the perfect run-up to the summit clash where they will be meeting Pakistan for the third time in the tournament. Pathum Nissanka won the Player of the Match award for his incredible century.
