Preview:

Following commanding victories against Nepal and Pakistan, India had to play two close contests – resulting in a victory and a loss each – en route to the 2023 Asia Cup final. Much like how Sri Lanka saw their passage to the summit clash of a tournament that has already been played under the shadows of a much bigger goal, the upcoming World Cup. Not that the Sunday encounter will be used as a glorified practice game, but the sheen of it is unlikely to be carried for too long.

There are certainly bigger areas of concerns for both teams to contend with, but not one that should leave them entirely dismayed. Has India found its best combination? Are Sri Lanka aware of its best pace pack and opening duo? One man down each – Axar Patel and Maheesh Theekshana – ruled out with their respective injuries, there is an opportunity for the finalists to go deeper in search of strong alternatives and back-ups.

If the last few games of the ongoing Asian championship offered anything apart from nail-biting contests, it was answers to a few questions.

Is batting depth overrated in ODIs? Is there really a need to compromise on the quality of bowling to fit in players with better batting reputations at Nos. 8 and 9?

While Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana played their part for Sri Lanka much like Bangladesh and Pakistan’s lower order, the answer most notably came from India’s Axar Patel.

A 36-ball 26 against Sri Lanka in a low-scorer and a 34-ball 42 in a challenging run-chase against Bangladesh. The results of the contests notwithstanding, despite underwhelming returns with the ball, Axar managed to make strong contributions to the team’s cause.

Axar may be absent for the Asia Cup final, but it has allowed India to further their already lengthy experimentation of finding the perfect combination. Added to the list, as a replacement, now is Washington Sundar. With Hardik Pandya offering strong support in the pace department, can India afford to go with three spinners in order to strengthen that lower order?

When: Sunday, September 17, 2023, 15:00 Local Time

Where: India vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2023 Final, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

What to expect: Thundershowers are expected on Sunday. Even as there is a reserve day, expect reduced overs and numerous rain breaks.

Team News

India: Axar Patel has been ruled out of the final after suffering injuries while batting in the match against Bangladesh. Washington Sundar has been drafted in as his replacement and could directly make it to the XI.

Likely XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar/Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

Sri Lanka: Maheesh Theekshana has been ruled out of the final due to a hamstring injury and 27-year-old offspinner Sahan Arachchige has been named his replacement. Sri Lanka have other questions to answer though. Who are their two best pacers? What’s their best opening combination?

Likely XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madhushan/Dushan Hemantha, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana

What they said:

[Shubman] Gill’s hundred was brilliant. He backs his game, he knows exactly how he wants to play. Pretty clear on what he wants to do for the team. Look at his form over the last year. Pretty solid against the new ball. Works really hard; there’s no optional practice for Gill – Rohit Sharma, Indian captain after the loss against Bangladesh

We had the discussion going before the batting. The coaching staff and I spoke about the mistakes that were made in the India game, wickets were given away in the first 10 overs. Today, we did not want to make that mistake. Kusal [Mendis] and Sadeera [Samarawickrama] are the best players of spin at the moment. Charith [Asalanka] was great, it’s a character of a great player. It’s a special feeling to play back-to-back finals – Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka captain, after the close win against Pakistan

Squads:

India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul(w), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Washington Sundar, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Prasidh Krishna, Tilak Varma

Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana, Sahan Arachchige, Dushan Hemantha, Kasun Rajitha, Binura Fernando, Dimuth Karunaratne