10th Asia Cup 2010 Final: India vs. Sri Lanka - Match Preview
Two Asian cricketing giants, Sri Lanka and India, will face-off in the final game of the 10th Asia Cup today. The hosts will step in the arena with a psychological edge over their opponents after conceding a heavy defeat against them in Tuesday’s match.
The Lankan tigers have so far been unbeaten in the tournament and would surely be full of confidence. Sri Lanka started off the tournament with a 16-run victory over Pakistan before defeating Bangladesh with a huge margin of 126-runs. On the other hand, India got off to a winning start with a 6-wicket victory over the Bangladesh, followed by a 3 wicket win over Pakistan.
The batting line-up of Sri Lanka featuring Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Kapugedera seems pretty strong. The presence of two all-rounders Ferveez Maharoof and Angelo Matthew provides the hosts with some extra options in both batting and bowling. Thilan Samaraweera would most probably make the final match by replacing Kandamby.
Sri Lankan pacers Kulasekara and Malinga, who were rested for the last league game against India, will return along with the magical spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
Defending champions of the Asia Cup will most probably rely on their pace attack featuring Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Matthews and Farveez Maharoof - the man who bagged a hat-trick in the last match against the same opposition.
In all probability, Sri Lankan will go into the match with Muttiah Muralitharan as the only regular spinner. As a result, one can call the final of 10th Asia Cup as a battle between India’s batting versus Lankan’s pace attack.
India’s batting line-up on Tuesday distressingly failed to show any potency against the Sri Lankan bowlers, specifically Farveez Maharoof, who took magnificent five wickets haul, including a sensational hat-trick. In the absence of blazing opener Sehwag due to pulled hamstring, Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik will be given the responsibility to pull the strings together for raising India’s hopes in the final. The responsibility in the middle order will fall on Kohli, Raina and Sharma, while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja seems to be under pressure to perform with the bat as well.
Pacer Ashish Nehra, who has just recovered from injury, would come back in place of Ashok Dinda. In the presence of Nehra, Zaheer and Praveen, Dhoni’s side has a good pace attack, while Harbhajan Singh and Jadeja featuring in the spin department.
Since 2000, both India and Sri Lanka have played each other in nine tournament finals with Sri Lanka winning eight finals while the visitors managing to win one over the hosts. And that victory came when India defeated Sri Lanka by 46 runs in the Compaq Cup final and it was Sachin Tendulkar’s century that helped the Indian’s bag victory. Sachin is not on the touring party and is enjoying his family life at home this time around.
Skipper MS Dhoni has denied calling the final as a pressure game.
“We won the last time we played a final in Sri Lanka,” he said. “Somehow we have not been able to win [on other occasions], maybe the performance isn’t good, or whatever the reason, but I don’t think there’s too much pressure on you just because it’s a final”. Meanwhile, Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lankan captain said that his side is positive and fervent to win the final. “A final is a final and we are going to hit the ground running and really try and win it,” said Sangakkara.
India, having reached the second successive final of the Asia Cup, would look to bounce back against the defeat in the last final in Lahore. Both India and Sri Lanka have won the Asia Cup on four occasions each. India’s last Asian title came in 1995, while Sri Lanka -since then - has won it thrice and the 10th Asia Cup final will become its third consecutive final appearance. The hosts would love to achieve a hat-trick of Asian titles, benefitting from the home crowd and conditions.
With all things in perspective, the final game will be a close contest. Cricket lovers can expect an entertaining match as both teams have some match-winning performers who can grab the game even single-handedly for their sides. The final match is going to be a battle of nerves as both teams will be under pressure to win. So, the side which will manage to hold their nerve would have a better chance of winning the game.
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