Sri Lanka have emerged as one of the most formidable teams in the tournament over the course of this Asia Cup. Despite missing practically their entire frontline bowling attack, a mix of young bowlers and experienced part-timers has made scoring against them a difficult task while the likes of Kusal Mendis have provided the goods with the bat. However, their only defeat in their last 15 ODIs has come against India, who have looked as strong as ever. Their last game ended in a defeat to Bangladesh but it was one in which most of their key players sat out. Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul have made strong returns while Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli have all been purring.
Both teams were dealt with injury blows in the run up to the final, with Sri Lanka arguably being the ones to be affected more by it. While India have lost Axar Patel for this match and possibly for the upcoming series against Australia, Washington Sundar has been flown in as cover. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have lost their frontline spinner Mahesh Theekshana for the rest of this tournament. Sri Lanka have, however, said that they expect Theekshana to be ready for the World Cup next month. Sundar, meanwhile, has been named in the Indian second string squad for the Asian Games next month, which makes it unlikely that he would be included in the World Cup squad.
The final, and indeed this whole tournament and any other international ODI match at the moment, is being played in the shadow of the bigger picture of the World Cup next month. While both sides want to ensure that their players get as much time in the middle in intense match situations, they are also weary of potential injuries, as is the case with Theekshana for Sri Lanka, or more sadly for Naseem Shah for Pakistan, who could now miss the World Cup. India haven’t really had to deal with an injury yet of the kind that could give them a headache in the big tournament. On the contrary, they have some of their key players out due to injury come back in this tournament, and in the case of Bumrah and Rahul, return with a bang. It has to be stated, though, that there could be nerves today – India’s only multi-team tournament wins in the decade since their Champions Trophy victory in 2013 has been the Asia Cup. The last time they lifted this trophy was back in 2018. With Rohit Sharma’s side looking to reclaim the World Cup at home next month, this match provides almost a simulation of the kind of pressure they could face in the big knockout matches.
A few key pointers about the 2023 Asia Cup final between India and Sri Lanka:
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