An electrifying moment of individual brilliance captivated fans during the Asia Cup Super Fours clash between India and Sri Lanka in Dubai. Early in the Indian innings, Sri Lanka’s spin maestro Maheesh Theekshana pulled off a truly spectacular caught-and-bowled dismissal that left Indian opener Shubman Gill, and indeed everyone watching, utterly stunned.
Shubman Gill (Screengrab)
Theekshana delivered a fullish ball, just outside Gill’s preferred driving area. Attempting a confident drive, Gill made solid contact, but the ball rocketed straight back towards the bowler. Displaying astonishing reflexes and agility, Theekshana dived across the pitch, snatching the ball cleanly with both hands. The dismissal, which saw Gill depart after scoring just four runs off three balls, was a testament to the Sri Lankan spinner’s exceptional hand-eye coordination and presence of mind.
Despite being out of contention for the final, Sri Lanka’s captain Charith Asalanka confirmed at the toss that his team would bowl first, emphasizing the game’s importance for pride and performance. He aimed to restrict India to a score around 170-175 and noted a single team change, with Janith Liyanage replacing Chamika Karunaratne.
For India, who had already booked their place in the Asia Cup final against arch-rivals Pakistan, the match was an opportunity to fine-tune their strategy and maintain winning momentum. Captain Suryakumar Yadav expressed his team’s intent to ‘continue doing what we have been doing’ and revealed they had also considered batting first. He acknowledged the challenge of dropped catches, which has been a recurring concern, and announced two changes to the squad: Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana came in for Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube.
While India’s batting lineup has been bolstered by Abhishek Sharma’s form and their bowling attack strengthened by Kuldeep Yadav, the team’s fielding performance, marked by 12 dropped catches in the tournament, remains a key area for improvement. For Sri Lanka, exiting the Super Fours unbeaten in the group stage, moments of brilliance like Theekshana’s stunning catch served as a positive note to conclude their campaign.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI):
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka(c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara
India (Playing XI):
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.