Asia Cup: Indian bowling coach Morkel confirms Pandya, Abhishek faced cramps during second innings

Dubai [UAE], September 27 (ANI): Following India’s thrilling Super Over victory over Sri Lanka in the final Super Four stage match of the Asia Cup, Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel confirmed that all-rounder Hardik Pandya and batsman Abhishek Sharma were off the field due to cramps during Sri Lanka’s batting innings.

India maintained an unbeaten run in the Super Four stage after surviving a fierce challenge from centurion Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera, securing a dramatic win that went down to the wire. However, a worrying sight for the team was Pandya being unable to bowl beyond the first over and having to leave the field temporarily. Abhishek Sharma was also off the field during Sri Lanka’s innings.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Morkel said, “Both of them struggled with cramps. Hardik, we will assess tonight and tomorrow morning and make a call. But both of them struggled with cramps. Abhishek is fine.”

The match saw the frontline pacers Arshdeep Singh (1/46 in four overs) and Harshit Rana (0/44 in three overs) get belted by SL batters and give away 90 runs in just seven balls. While both of them have managed to get just two games in the tournament so far, with Jasprit Bumrah being around, Morkel does not want to use this as an excuse for their poor outing.

“In our environment, we are trying to move away from the excuse culture. The effort they put into the training, we expect them to go out and deliver. Sometimes, it is the lack of game time. You can bowl as much as you want in the nets, but nothing beats game time. As a team, we expect guys to deliver. It is not happening for them right now, but in the bigger picture, the team is winning. These guys are X factors and match winners on their given day,” he said.

SL won the toss and elected to field first. While vice-captain Shubman Gill (4) fell early, the skipper Suryakumar Yadav (12) continued his low string of scores as a captain. Abhishek Sharma’s impeccable tournament continued as he contributed 61 in 31 balls, with eight fours and two sixes. This was his third successive fifty in the tournament and made him the first batter to overtake the 300-run mark in the T20I Asia Cup. From the middle-order, Tilak Varma (49* in 34 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and Sanju Samson (39 in 23 balls, with a four and three sixes) did manage to get some valuable game time and runs, taking India to 202/5 in their 20 overs. Both of them stitched a 66-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Maheesh Theekshana (1/36) and Wanindu Hasaranga (1/37) were the top wicket-takers for Sri Lanka.

As Lankans chased the first 200-plus target of the tournament, they lost Kusal Mendis for a golden duck to Hardik Pandya. But this did not deter Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera (58 in 32 balls, with eight fours and two sixes), who launched a counter-attack in almost an instant. Nissanka reached his century and scored a 58-ball 107, with seven fours and six sixes, while Dasun Shanaka scored 22 in 11 balls, with two fours and a six. However, SL and India could not be separated with match going to Super Over, despite a comeback of sorts towards the end by India. Kuldeep Yadav (1/31) was the top bowler for India.

In the Super Over, SL could manage just two runs, with Arshdeep Singh getting two wickets. India wiped off the target in just the first ball itself.

Nissanka received the ‘Player of the Match’ for his knock. With this nail-biting win, India remain unbeaten and advance to the final, while Sri Lanka bowed out of the Super Four stage without a win, despite entering it unbeaten. The match saw standout performances from both sides, with India holding their nerve in crunch moments. (ANI)

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