Sometimes it happens that you dig for something very big, and you find a tiny little thing instead of the gem you are looking for; exactly the same thing happened in the final of the Asia Cup 2023, where Rohit Sharma‘s side stunned Sri Lanka with ten wickets to spare. Rohit Sharma was quite attacking in his tactics as he kept extra slips for the fast bowlers.
In a high-voltage clash in the finals of the Asia Cup 2023, India had a slight upper hand, but according to some cricket experts, Sri Lanka might retain their title. Sri Lanka batted first in hope of setting a big total on the board, but they collapsed totally against the mighty fast bowling of India. No batter could resist the fall of the wicket. At the end, they could not even cross the 100-run mark and heaved an unwanted record for the lowest score ever in the Asia Cup in ODI form.
While chasing the tiny target, India sent Ishan Kishan 23 (18) and Shubman Gill 27 (19) to start the inning, and they achieved 50 runs in just seven overs with 10 wickets in hand. With this win in the Asia Cup 2023, India won the tournament for the seventh time, the most by a team in the history of the Asia Cup.
Rohit Sharma’s smart captaincy
In the Asia Cup 2023, skipper Rohit Sharma has been really impressive with his tactics throughout the tournament; he showed great smarts in captaincy by bringing the right bowler at the right time and the right fielder at the right place. All this helps the bowling unit to pick wickets in important situations.
Rohit Sharma has also been proactive with other decisions, so Rohit’s smart captaincy played a big role for India in the tournament. The dynamic batter has shown that he is not done yet in the ODI format, the way he played a fiery knock against Sri Lanka in the Super 4 stage that too on a tricky surface was quite commendable
The Rise of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah
India’s bowling has been up to the mark throughout the tournament; they have picked wickets at the crucial stages for the team. Spinners have played an important role on the spinning wickets, and pacers have also outplayed the opposition.
In the final match, India’s fast bowling won the match for them. Mohammed Siraj just drilled the Lankan batting line-up, including Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur, who also helped the team, but all-rounder Hardik Pandya was very impressive, picking up three wickets in the final match. All the Indian bowlers stepped up for the team throughout the tournament.
The resurgence of KL Rahul in the middle order
KL Rahul was another positive point for the men in blue considering the upcoming World Cup. He made a comeback into the team in the middle stage of the Asia Cup 2023 and met the expectations to perform well in the middle order. KL Rahul looked quite calm & composed as the batter took calculative risks and then unleashed the attack.
KL Rahul also scored a stunning century against Pakistan and proved his worth; he also played some impressive innings as well. The resurgence in the middle order will give a boost to the big upcoming tournament. Rohit Sharma would be quite relieved after the performance of the middle order, the likes of Ishan Kishan & Hardik Pandya played key knocks against Pakistan in the first round and displayed a never to say die attitude.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2023: Mohammed Siraj Rips Apart Sri Lankan Batting Line Up