In a truly touching display of empathy, India captain Suryakumar Yadav shared a poignant moment with Sri Lanka’s spinner Dunith Wellalage during an Asia Cup 2025 Super 4s match at the Dubai International Stadium. The young 22-year-old spinner was recently struck by a profound personal tragedy: the passing of his father, Suranga Wellalage, earlier this month due to a heart attack. Dunith received this heartbreaking news from Sri Lanka’s head coach, Sanath Jayasuriya, following their group stage match against Afghanistan.
Upon learning of Wellalage’s loss, Suryakumar approached him on the sidelines, offering a comforting hand on his chest and words of heartfelt encouragement. Their conversation lasted nearly two minutes, with Suryakumar repeatedly patting and cheering on the young cricketer. Wellalage, visibly moved, nodded in acknowledgement throughout their exchange, appearing deeply grateful for the Indian captain’s genuine support. This touching interaction was widely shared on social media by Sony Sports Network, simply captioned: ‘This moment.’
Despite the immense personal sorrow, Wellalage returned to the UAE in time for Sri Lanka’s first Super 4s encounter against Bangladesh. Although he was unable to take a wicket in that game and was subsequently omitted from Sri Lanka’s subsequent matches against Pakistan and India, his presence on the field was a testament to his resilience. It’s worth noting that Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, along with coach Mike Hesson and manager Naveed Akram, had also previously extended their support to the grieving spinner.
The India versus Sri Lanka match itself proved to be a nail-biting thriller. India, batting first, set a challenging target of 202 for 5 in 20 overs, bolstered by a superb 61 from opener Abhishek Sharma. Sri Lanka mounted a strong chase, with Pathum Nissanka delivering a magnificent century. The game ultimately went down to the wire, culminating in a Super Over after Nissanka’s dismissal in the final moments of regular play. Arshdeep Singh stepped up to bowl for India in the Super Over, conceding just two runs, before Suryakumar Yadav decisively sealed the victory by hitting the required runs off Wanindu Hasaranga’s very first delivery.
With this hard-fought triumph, India continues its winning streak and is now poised to face archrival Pakistan in the highly anticipated Asia Cup final, scheduled for Sunday, September 28, at the Dubai International Stadium.