• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Sunil Gavaskar Issues Warning To India Ahead Of The Asia Cup 2023 Final

Sunil Gavaskar Issues 'Warning' To India Ahead Of The Asia Cup 2023 Final

image-lmmz6lvyIndia set to take on SL in the Asia Cup final [AP Photo]

The 2023 Asia Cup tournament has progressed to the business end as India prepares to take on a resurgent Lankan side on September 17 at Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. As we all gear up in readiness for the blockbuster final to unfold, former legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar cautions the Men In Blue to be wary of the threat being posed by the Sri Lankan team.

Sri Lanka were in the midst of a stellar run in ODI cricket as they entered the tournament. They showed a lot of promise early on and won some hard-fought games against Afghanistan and Pakistan in this tournament to qualify for the finals.

However, what took everyone by surprise was Sri Lanka’s phenomenal performance against a dominant Indian side which prevented the Men in Blue from posting a strong total. Team India came crashing down from their high against Pakistan in their earlier fixture as they bowed their heads against the likes of Dunith Wellalage and Charith Asalanka who claimed 9 wickets to rattle India for just 213.

India won the game thanks to Kuldeep Yadav's excellent bowling. However, Sri Lanka's middle order put up a strong fight and tried to take the game to the end. Even though they lost half their team for less than 100 runs, Dunith Wellalage and Dhananjay de Silva scored over 40 runs each, bringing Sri Lanka very close to their required target.

Here's what Gavaskar said:

In a conversation with India Today, Sunil Gavaskar stressed that team India can’t take Sri Lanka lightly as they will have the support from the home crowd. Furthermore, the legendary batter also added that even though they have been defeated once, Sri Lanka has what it takes to turn the tide in their favour.

“Lanka has always been a dangerous team and they can turn the tables on you in an unsuspecting manner. They are a bit like New Zealand who can fly under the radar. They don’t have superstar players but they have good committed players and some crafty spinners and destructive batsmen at their disposal.”

Over the past decade, India has predominately fared well in the league stage of nearly every major ICC event. But as they enter the knockout phase, the team has been found wanting. It remains to be seen what fate awaits Rohit Sharma & Co. as they look to tackle the incoming threat from a flamboyant Lankan side in a do-or-die final.