Dubai: Sanju Samson gained much-needed confidence with a useful 39 after Abhishek Sharma’s familiar early assault as India posted an imposing 202 for 5 against Sri Lanka in the final Super 4s game of the Asia Cup here Friday.
This was the highest score by any team in the current tournament, surpassing India’s 188 against Oman and Afghanistan’s same total versus Hong Kong.
While Abhishek blasted his way to a 31-ball-61, Samson was finally in his element at No. 5, playing some breathtaking sixes in his 22-ball innings. Tilak Varma anchored the innings well to finish on an unbeaten 49 off 34 balls, a knock that will do him a world of good.
Abhishek hammering the bowlers in the powerplay has become the norm of this tournament as he completed a hat-trick of half-centuries. Friday’s innings was laced with eight fours and two sixes, even as Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav were dismissed cheaply.
However, it was the third time in the tournament that Abhishek missed out on an opportunity to get a hundred, as he was caught at deep mid-wicket boundary after a half-tracker from Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka.
Gill (4) was dismissed when a Maheesh Theekshana delivery stopped on him and the leading edge was accepted by the bowler.
Skipper Surya (12), who has been going through a very rough patch, wanted to sweep his way out of trouble but was trapped leg-before by Wanindu Hasaranga.
When Samson came in, it was about finding his mojo at a new batting position and for the first time, he looked in ominous touch.
He hit three sixes, but the one that stood out was the down-the-ground hit off Hasaranga’s bowling. He plonked his front-foot shade outside the leg-stump to make room and muscled it straight into the sight-screen.
In the next over, he smashed Dasun Shanaka over cow corner for another maximum.
Along with Tilak, he added 66 runs in 6.5 overs to prepare the launchpad for a final flourish, before Axar Patel capped off the India innings with a six.
PTI
