Dasun Shanaka hails Sri Lanka's win against India 

Shanaka earned the player of the match award for his all-round brilliance. (PC-Twitter)

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka hailed his batters for chasing another challenging total in the Super four clash against the defending champions India in Dubai on Tuesday.

After a dismal start to their campaign in the group stage of the Asia Cup 2022, Sri Lanka have fought their way back into the tournament with three consecutive wins. 

The result against India has put them on the brink of qualification for the final of the continental tournament.

After winning the coin toss and inviting the Indian team to bat first, the Dasun Shanaka-led outfit restricted India to a challenging total of 173 in the allotted twenty overs. However, Sri Lanka chased down the target with a ball to spare in the final over of the match. 

It all started with a 97-run opening partnership between Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis. Both the batters looked in fabulous touch as they dispatched every Indian bowler in the first six overs. 

The openers gave a solid foundation for the middle-order batters to build on a good start. However, both Nissanka (52 off 27) and Mendis (57 off 37) perished in quick succession. Asalanka and Gunathilaka also fell cheaply but captain Dasun Shanaka (33* off 18) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25* off 17) ensured Sri Lanka's win in a thrilling final over finish. The duo stitched an unbeaten 64-run partnership to win the game for their country.

Shanaka credits batters for the win

Speaking about the win in the post-match presentation, Shanaka stated that the team environment has helped the players to gain confidence and reflect the same on their on-field performances. 

"The environment in the team set the tone. It is what gave us the confidence. The batting unit won it for us. The bowlers bowled well in patches, Dilshan and Theekshana in particular. The Indian batsmen came hard, but we did well to keep them to 173. We had a good discussion after the first game. We know what we can do in this tournament. Pathum and Mendis set the tone for us, and then Rajapaksa and me finished it off".

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