Team India were handed a shocking defeat by Sri Lanka in the Super 4 clash of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 on Tuesday in Dubai. The Islanders chased down 174 runs with one ball to spare to almost make it to the final of the continental tournament.
Pathum Nissanka (52) and Kusal Mendia (57) gave a perfect start to Sri Lanka before Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25) and Shanaka (33) took the side home with a match-winning 64-run stand. Arshdeep Singh bowled outstandingly in the final over to bring down the equation to two off as many balls.
Arshdeep Singh bowled a good delivery under pressure, beating Dasun Shanaka with a length ball. The Sri Lankan batters took off for a single. Rishabh Pant, who had taken a glove off before the delivery, had all three stumps to aim at.
Unfortunately for India, Rishabh Pant failed to get a direct hit. To make matters worse, Arshdeep also attempted to throw the ball at the non-striker’s end, only to fail. The batters scampered back for a second to win the edge-of-the-seat match.
Many fans took to social media to recall how former captain MS Dhoni had sprinted to the stumps to run Mustafizur Rahman out during the side’s T20 World Cup fixture against Bangladesh in 2016, helping India steal a one-run win.
Here are some of the reactions:
Not All wicket keepers are MS Dhoni. pic.twitter.com/KDWqXQNWmi
— MAHIYANK™ (@Mahiyank_78) September 6, 2022
Today I Missed MS Dhoni as a Wk and Captain Both ❤️ pic.twitter.com/KtnVHFRBHJ
— MAHIYANK™ (@Mahiyank_78) September 6, 2022
MS Dhoni, where are you?
— Aritra Mukherjee (@aritram029) September 6, 2022
That is how it's done. MS Dhoni was special. pic.twitter.com/BNTkSBlnVI
— Cogito (@cogitoiam) September 6, 2022
Miss u @msdhoni
— venkat prabhu (@vp_offl) September 6, 2022
This is the reason why he never took anything easy.
Everyone can't be MS DHONI. pic.twitter.com/4ZgS7n9ZTq— Vivek. (@imvikky07) September 6, 2022
Captaincy and stumping in last over !! MSDhoni has done it before @MSDhoni pic.twitter.com/7DkPjiBuFJ
— Shiva MSDIAN (@ShivaDhonifan7) September 6, 2022
There is only 1 MS Dhoni 😓 pic.twitter.com/BSQxFsQl1i
— 𝙍𝘿𝙆 (@Goatcheeku_18) September 6, 2022
Not every wicketkeeper is MS Dhoni #MSDhoni @msdhonipic.twitter.com/FmItZfyw9Y
— Jayprakash MSDian™ 🥳🦁 (@ms_dhoni_077) September 7, 2022
Just look at this man..His presence of mind 🧠…so clever under pressure situation… He can give everything for his team…badly miss him.. MS Dhoni 😑🇮🇳 rishabh pant #INDvsSL #RishabhPant #MSDhoni #ViratKohli #Mahirat #bcci #indvsafg pic.twitter.com/SsVgorsDz2
— DineshAravind06 (@DINESHA86026378) September 6, 2022
#RishabhPant #msdhoni #RishabhPant
Today we missed u Mahi pic.twitter.com/PfHDtlG30C— ❤️ KRISHU ❤️ (@imKSS16) September 6, 2022
I think @RishabhPant17 don't throw the ball to wickets he just run fast and hit the wickets especially this type of situation. We don't take risk
Must learn from @msdhoni— Venkatesh Kondapally (@VenkateshK495) September 6, 2022
Aaj agar MS Dhoni hota toh baat hi kuch or hoti🥺🥺#INDvsSL
— Priya अग्रवाल 🇮🇳 (@priyaaaa_) September 6, 2022
Hey @msdhoni na tumse behatar koi tha na tumse behatar koi ayega …we miss you #Dhoni
— Varsha7 (@varshasinghmahi) September 6, 2022
“We are still looking for answers” – Rohit Sharma after defeat against Sri Lanka
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma asserted that these two defeats on the trot will help learn a lot and help them in the coming months, including the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Throwing light on India’s bowling at the end of the game, Rohit stated:
“These are the only two games we’ve lost back-to-back. These things will teach us a lot. This bowling combination (two spinners and three seamers) is something I wanted to try and see how it goes. We are still looking for answers. We’ve been in two consecutive things with close finishes, which we will learn from.
“I have to give credit to Arshdeep for the way he came back to bowl the final over. Chahal and Bhuvi are senior pros now. We are looking at the likes of Avesh and Arshdeep to show what they can bring to the side,” he added.
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