India will look to maintain their unbeaten run and winning momentum on Friday when they take on Sri Lanka in the final Super 4 game in Dubai. India who are the 8-time champions are taking on 6-time winners Sri Lanka in this clash. It is a clash of two teams with contrasting fortunes in the Super 4 stage. India have remained unbeaten and are through to the finals while Sri Lanka after being unbeaten in Group stage have lost both their Super 4 games.
India will look to tidy up on areas ahead of the final and this is the perfect opportunity to do so against a side who promised a lot but delivered little when it mattered the most. India’s main worry is the fielding as they have dropped 12 catches in the tournament, the most by any team in this Asia Cup. The bowling and batting are in good order and despite not playing their best they have reached the finals without breaking any sweat. Sri Lanka have faltered in this Super 4 stage but will be looking to end the campaign with a win.
Overview.
The Men in Blue India are yet to put together a perfect performance in this year’s Asia Cup, but because of the depth and talent of this new-look side that even without hitting top gear, they still have managed to look a cut above the rest showing the gap between them and the other sides participating in the competition.
Unbeaten in the tournament so far, India became the first team to seal a spot in the final after a convincing win over Bangladesh in their last outing. They now face off against the Men from the Emerald Island in Sri Lanka in what is effectively a dead rubber, but with a chance to fine tune their plans ahead of the much-anticipated final against Pakistan on Sunday.
The final game of the Super Fours game is set to be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. For India just to reiterate four players from the current squad have been named in the Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against the West Indies namely Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel.
Bumrah featured in only three of the five Tests in England as part of his workload management. However, chief selector Ajit Agarkar has confirmed that the speedster had a sufficient break between his last Test appearance and the ongoing Asia Cup campaign, and is fit and available for both matches in the West Indies series. That said, with India already through to the final, the team management might opt to rest Bumrah for this dead rubber and keep him fresh for the high-stakes summit clash against the Men in Green.
Apart from that, Axar Patel, who had an injury scare ahead of the Bangladesh game, may also get rested for this fixture. Moreover, India will be looking to tighten up their fielding, particularly their catching which has been way below par in this tournament so far as they have dropped 12 catches so far. The musical chairs in India’s batting order might continue in this fixture, as several players still looking for form will be eager to spend valuable time in the middle.
However, one player who should remain exactly where he is has to be Abhishek Sharma. The explosive southpaw has been the standout performer for Team India in the tournament. To put his impact into perspective, he has smashed 12 sixes which is actually matching the total number hit by the entire Sri Lankan team.
As for Sri Lanka is concerned, it will be about signing off with a win in a campaign that showed early promise but faltered when it mattered the most. Charith Asalanka’s men suffered defeats to Pakistan and Bangladesh and became the first team to be eliminated from the race to the final.
Binura Fernando, who is yet to feature in Asia Cup 2025 may get a look-in for this match. Dunith Wellalage or Janith Liyanage are also expected to return and feature in the XI as they may be replacing Nuwan Thushara and Chamika Karunaratne.
So, the stage is set for an interesting battle. Sri Lanka with nothing to lose can come out all guns blazing and stop India’s unbeaten run in the tournament. It’s easier said than done, but they will definitely be up for it and dent India’s momentum ahead of the final. India may start as favourites, but Sri Lanka will not be mere pushovers.
Head-To-Head.
India and Sri Lanka have in total played in 32 T20Is with India winning 22 of them and Sri Lanka winning 9 while one match ended in a No result. In the last 10 matches, India have won 8 of them showing their dominance against Sri Lanka who have won 2 off the last 10 games. The last match was on 30th July 2024 which ended in a tie and India won it in Super Over. The stage is set for an epic battle.
Pitch & Weather Report.
The pitch in Dubai is changing character as it is becoming slower and low scoring since these are used surfaces and squares and the weather has been hot in Dubai. The last two matches have been won by the team batting first as the chasing side has struggled to get past 120. The pitch is decent, but application needs to be shown by the batters. Spinners control the middle overs and the pacers the initial lateral movement. A score of 160-170 is competitive and the captain winning the toss may opt to chase, but it is not a bad toss to lose either.
The weather in Dubai will be hot and humid during daytime. At night, it is still hot but much cooler and there is a gentle breeze that blows across which will comfort the players. The players are used to the weather and will adjust accordingly. There is no chance of rain and we will get a full game in at Dubai for sure.
Predicted/Possible Playing XIs of both sides.
Here, we will predict the possible playing XIs of both sides:
Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera.
India XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash:
Abhishek Sharma: Abhishek Sharma has been the standout performer for India and in this tournament as well. He has blazed away in the powerplay and in the last two matches, he has converted his start into getting 70s. He will be the key for India as he is carrying the underperforming Indian batting on his shoulders. India will hope Abhishek gives the team quick starts and drives home the advantage post the powerplay. India will hope his purple patch continues a bit longer as he makes life easier for everyone.
Kuldeep Yadav: Kuldeep Yadav has been in red hot form in this Asia Cup 2025 as he is out there proving to the people what he is made of by delivering consistent performances. Kuldeep owns the middle overs phase and is stifling their opponents gracefully. His spell is proving to be crucial in tandem with Varun as they give nothing away and keep the runs down. Kuldeep getting wickets like he has done so far will be trouble for the Lankans.
Pathum Nissanka: Pathum Nissanka is Sri Lanka’s Mr. Dependable as the Lankan lions are always dependent on him to give the team solid starts. The day Nissanka fails, Sri Lanka struggles a lot. So, he is basically the king pin and the rock of the batting team. He was in red hot form in Zimbabwe and has done decently in the Asia Cup. He will be keen to do well and end the Asia Cup 2025 on a high and possibly give Sri Lanka the win in the end.
Wanindu Hasaranga: The kingpin of the Sri Lankan bowling, Wanindu Hasaranga will get a lot of assistance on this Dubai track. He will be raring to go and end the tournament on a high. Hasaranga has had a mixed Asia Cup but is a utility player for Sri Lanka with both bat and the ball. He can hit lusty blows down the order and then pick wickets in the middle overs. Sri Lanka will be hoping Hasaranga show his true mettle and perform against India to restrict them to a low score.
Key Stats/Records to look forward to ahead of this clash.
- Suryakumar Yadav needs 8 fours to complete 250 T20I fours and 2 sixes to reach 150 T20I sixes.
- Hardik Pandya needs 4 sixes to complete 100 T20I sixes.
- Sanju Samson is 70 runs away from completing 1000 T20I runs.
- Tilak Varma is 2 sixes short of 50 sixes in T20Is.
- Hardik Pandya also needs 3 wickets to complete 100 T20I wickets.
- Kusal Mendis who has 2198 runs needs 21 more runs to surpass Kusal Perera who has 2218 runs to become Sri Lanka’s leading run-getter in T20Is.
- Kusal Mendis requires 7 fours to complete 200 T20I fours.
- Charith Asalanka needs 8 fours to complete 100 T20I fours.
Possible/Predicted Outcome of the Match.
Anything can happen in T20 Cricket and whoever plays better shall win. But looking at the current position of the teams and performance, there is no doubt that India will start as favourites to win the contest. Sri Lanka won’t be pushovers as they can pounce on errors committed by India especially in the field. So, we are expecting a good game today.
Let’s see how things pan out in the final Super 4 clash of Asia Cup 2025 before the grand finale takes place on Sunday in Dubai.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan Qualifies For The Big Final After Nervy 11-Run Win