Virat Kohli's record-equalling fifty helped India seal their berth in the Asia Cup final. MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to field and his bowlers backed his decision as they restricted Sri Lanka to 138/9.
Aside from picking up wickets at crucial intervals, what must have pleased Dhoni is the way they handled adversity and bounced back after being hit for boundaries. In response, India lost both openers early and were looking in a spot of bother.
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But just like he did against Pakistan, Virat Kohli scored a match-winning knock to seal India’s final berth. Both Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh played useful cameos but it was fittingly Kohli who hit the winning runs against a Malinga-less Sri Lanka.
Virat reveals his tactics against Sri Lanka’s seamers
For his unbeaten fifty, Virat Kohli was voted the Man of the Match. “Touchwood, it's coming out nicely now. Another crunch situation, 16 for 2. It's nice to challenge yourself. Kulasekara and Angie were bowling well. I knew I’m striking the ball well, so I have to take the pressure off the other batsman by hitting the odd boundary, but it has to be a cricketing shot,” he said.
He also added that stepping out of the crease was the plan because all their seam bowlers bowl “good length”. Before adding, “Except Chameera, the rest are all seam bowlers, so it was important not to let them bowl that length. If you're set on 25-30, the ball full of dew is a wonder, but when the ball changes you need to adjust with your bat flow and check your shot sometimes.”
Angelo Mathews admitted his team were well short of a competitive total. He said: "With the dew coming in, it felt like we were 20-25 runs short, but the Indians batted well, as always, and Virat was outstanding. If the wicket was like the previous one, it would have been a fighting total, but the dew came in and the ball started sliding through.
“We are depending heavily on our seniors, with the side we have. The seniors need to fire, otherwise, we're in trouble.”
MS Dhoni hailed the consistency of the Indian side. He said:"I think consistent performance is very important. In the last 9-10 T20s, we have played, we have done well. It was good to see a few of the others contributing as well. Yuvraj Singh's innings was crucial, not just for this match but for the team as well, good to see him get into some good form.
“Today's wicket was harder than some of the other wickets, but it was still a little soft, which allows the ball to grip and move around. It was good today because you, at least, know it will be there for four overs or five overs. Overall, it was a track that was testing initially for the batsmen, but later on, it was quite easy."
Here is how the cricketing fraternity reacted to India's victory.
Plenty of praise came Virat Kohli's way, Aakash Chopra:
Sri Lankan batting legend Kumar Sangakkara:
Harsha Bhogle highlighted the importance of Yuvraj's 35:
Some, like Anjum Chopra, were sceptical of Yuvraj Singh's comeback to form:
Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene:
Former Indian batsman VVS Laxman:
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