Asia Cup 2023 Final | India Predicted XI vs Sri Lanka

image-lmkvfir5Shubman Gill played a great knock against Bangladesh (Source: AP Photos)

As the 2023 Asia Cup draws to a close, we head to the final encounter in the journey of the ongoing edition at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. India and Sri Lanka will be rumbling against one another in the main event of the Asian Championship on September 17, i.e. Sunday, slated to begin at 3:00 PM IST, Local Time.

Sri Lanka bounced back after a defeat against India, pruning Pakistan from the qualification scenario in the ongoing Asia Cup.  The middle order trinity of Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samamrawickrama and Charith Asalanka were clinical with the bat and helped the hosts to steer past the finishing line. This win ensured them to become the number one contender for grand finale of the coveted tournament. Earlier, they topped the group stages, thrashing Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Actually, they got the better against the Bangladesh Tigers on two occasions, the latest being a comprehensive win in their first game of Super Fours.

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On the flip side, India have sounded like the beaters of the competition. They kicked off the Asian mega-event with a draw against arch-rivals, Pakistan where rain had the last laugh. In the next assignment of the Rahul Dravid-coached side, Nepal was drubbed hard by a resounding 10 wickets victory. Switching tabs to the Super Fours, Indian cricketers participated on back-to-back three days defeating Pakistan over a period of two days (reserve day) and following it by shadowing the hosts on their own turf. The two consecutive wins helped them book a spot for the main event. They still have a dead-rubber against Bangladesh and likely to trial and test before heading to the final.


Openers: Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma

The tag team of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma have blossomed for the Men in Blue during the ongoing Asia Cup. Barring the first game against Pakistan, they have been impressive in offering a rollicking start to the side. The skipper is in brilliant touch and arriving on the back of three consecutive half-centuries while his partner has already fetched a brace.


Middle Overs: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan

Who can dethrone the King from his position? Only the King himself can. Such is the quality and stature of Virat Kohli in the current era of cricket. He has notched up a brilliant ton against Pakistan and was succored by KL Rahul for the better part of the innings. Both of them are going be a crucial part of India's middle order in the final. Joining them will be Ishan Kishan who adds the left-handed flavour in the mix. The Jharkhand-based cricketer also piled up an important knock of 82 runs from 81 balls against Pakistan in India's tournament opener.


All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur

An Indian team without Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja seems incomplete. The duo have a pivotal role to play with both bat and ball in hand. Pandya have been exceptional with the ball and has numbers with the bat too. His crucial knock against Pakistan was an epitome of what he is capable of with the bat. Shardul Thakur is likely to be the third pacer of the side and brings that 'Lord' effect. The Mumbaikar is renowned for his moment of magic at the need of hour with both the willow and the cork and therefore will play a key part in this line-up. 


Bowlers: Japrit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj

India are likely to go with the winning combination of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as the lead of pace battery. The former has sounded lethal with the new ball spells in recent times while Siraj has challenged the edges plenty of times but was unlucky enough to not get adequate wickets. However, Kuldeep Yadav has bursted into a major wicket-taking option for the Indian side during the middle overs and is the leading wicket-taker for the Men in Blue with nine scalps.


India Predicted XI vs Sri Lanka

Rohit Sharma (c)
Shubman Gill
Virat Kohli
KL Rahul (wk) 
Ishan Kishan
Hardik Pandya 
Ravindra Jadeja
Shardul Thakur
Jasprit Bumrah
Kuldeep Yadav
Mohammed Siraj