Former India player Irfan Pathan feels that playing a close match against Sri Lanka in the last match of the Super 4 will bode well for India going into Sunday’s final against Pakistan. Pathan said that the tight game will keep India on their toes before the final because Sri Lanka showed them that any team can play their best in any given day.
“My opinion is that the tight match against Sri Lanka which they eventually won in the Super Over is good for India. Sometimes when you play very good cricket, you sometimes become a little slack. You think that everything is happening perfectly, you tend to think that you can take on everything. That confidence is necessary but if that confidence gives way to arrogance, that might be a problem. I am not saying that the Indian team is arrogant but that feeling does not take long to fester. The game is like that,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
“So India now suddenly sense that any team can play well at any given day just like Sri Lanka did on Friday. According to me, Sri Lanka was the No.2 team in the league stages. And they showed it here. The only team who has come close to India is Sri Lanka. If they didn’t make some mistakes, they would have also won the match. The game wouldn’t even have gone to the Super Over,” he added.
Sri Lanka, courtesy of Pathum Nissanka’s century and Kusal Perera’s half century almost overhauled India’s 202-run target but they ultimately ended the match on a tie necessitating a Super Over.
But Arshdeep Singh who did not have the best time in the match, bowled the Super Over and sent back Perera and Dasun Shanaka ending Sri Lanka’s innings a 2 runs. India would then bat and get the required 3 runs off just one ball of Wanindu Hasaranga.
India will next play the Asia Cup final against Pakistan on Sunday, the third time these two teams will meet in the tournament with the Men In Blue winning the group stage and Super 4 encounters.
The postIrfan Pathan explains why playing tight match against Sri Lanka keeps India in good stead ahead of Asia Cup final vs Pakistan | Cricket News appeared first on Indian Express
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