Dubai [UAE], September 25 (ANI): As India prepares to take on Sri Lanka during their final Super Four stage clash in the Asia Cup on Thursday, Indian opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Kuldeep Yadav stand on the verge of two historic T20I Asia Cup milestones.
India, which has already qualified for the Asia Cup finals following wins over Pakistan and Bangladesh, will play Sri Lanka, which has already been eliminated following two losses, to end their Super Four run undefeated and head into the final with full momentum. For that, Abhishek’s opening burst and Kuldeep’s magical spin would have to do wonders.
In five matches so far, Abhishek has scored 248 runs in five innings at an average of 49.60 and a strike rate of 206.66, with two half-centuries and a best score of 75. He is the top run-getter in the ongoing Asia Cup. He is just 34 runs away from going past Pakistan’s Mohammed Rizwan (281 runs in six innings at an average of 56.20, with a strike rate of 117.57 and three fifties in 2022) to have the best-ever T20I Asia Cup by a batter.
He could also break Virat Kohli’s record of 275 runs in six innings at an average of 92.00, with a strike rate of almost 148, a century and two fifties in the same tournament to have the best T20I Asia Cup by an Indian batter.
Abhishek’s blend of consistency and brutality has been unreal this year, scoring 527 runs in 10 T20Is at an average of 52.70 with a strike rate of over 213, including a century and three fifties, with his best performance being a 54-ball 135 against England in Mumbai. This dashing stroke-maker has hit 47 fours and 39 sixes this year.
Also, Kuldeep Yadav, the spinner who has been the leading wicket-taker this tournament with 12 scalps in five matches at an average of 8.08 and an economy rate of 5.65 and best figures of 4/7, is just one wicket away from surpassing UAE’s Amjad Javed (12 wickets in seven innings back in 2016 edition) to have the best-ever T20I Asia Cup by any bowler.
Three more wickets will take him above all-rounder Hardik Pandya (14 scalps) as India’s top wicket-taker ever in the tournament, and a five-wicket haul could help him surpass Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga (16 scalps) as the highest-wicket-taker in the tournament history of three T20I editions.
Squads:
India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Shivam Dube, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Sanju Samson(w), Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma
Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka(c), Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Dunith Wellalage, Kamil Mishara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Binura Fernando, Janith Liyanage. (ANI)
