Janith Liyange was brought into Sri Lanka's playing eleven, in place of Chamika Karunaratne, as Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl first against India in the final Super 4 stage game of the Men's T20 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
India also made two changes of their own, giving rest to Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube, and replacing them with Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh.
The encounter is a dead-rubber, with India already having earned a spot in the final by winning their first two Super 4 matches against Pakistan and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, has been knocked out after losing both of their last two games. The Super 4 leg is rounded off by this game before the India-Pakistan summit clash on Sunday.
Even after being eliminated, the Lankan Lions are eager to end their campaign on a good note. Addressing the toss, captain Charith Asalanka had this to say, "We are going to bowl first. We realize that we can't qualify for the final, but it is still a crucial game for us. It is a good pitch, and we would like to limit them to 170-175. They have been playing very well, particularly our openers.". We have one change - Liyange comes in for Chamika.”
India, the only remaining unbeaten side in the tournament, will look to stretch their winning run as they pursue a ninth Asia Cup title. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav spoke, "Just keep doing what we have been doing. We were actually planning to bat first. Good game, good atmosphere, and we are looking forward. It is part of the game (dropped catches)."
Playing XIs:
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (c), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Janith Liyange, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara
