Asia Cup Final: In IPL 2021, CSK won the match batting first and it was in my mind, says Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka
It could have been infinitely sweeter had Dasun Shanaka had lifted the Asia Cup trophy at the iconic Premadasa Stadium but the kind of performance they have put in the Asia Cup after being thrashed in the first game by Afghanistan would make anyone believe that this bunch of feisty cricketers can be a dark horse in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Known for always punching above their weights, Sri Lanka has indeed redeemed itself in a format where they had become world champions back in 2014.
Celebrations galore among the DP World #AsiaCup 2022 🏆 champions 💪🏼🤩🥳@OfficialSLC #SLvPAK #ACC #GetReadyForEpic #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/xeCONN7onF
— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) September 11, 2022
However, in Dubai, one has seen that toss has become an essential factor, but Shanaka was taking inspiration from MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 title after batting first in the final.
“In IPL 2021, Chennai won the match batting first and that is what was in my mind,” said Shanaka in the post-match interview.
Shanaka said the last ball six off Naseem Shah had shifted the momentum towards them.
“The last ball six was the turning point. 170 was mentally the difference, as 160 always feels chasable,” he said.
Sri Lankan 🇱🇰 skipper @dasunshanaka1 and finals player of the match, @BhanukaRajapak3 grab the mic to talk about their performance 💪, the coaching that helped them succeed 🏋️, and maintaining their form 🏏#SLvPAK #ACC #AsiaCup2022 #GetReadyForEpic pic.twitter.com/iixJpSynwZ
— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) September 11, 2022
The fortunes of Sri Lanka cricket nose-dived just like the country’s eco-system in general, with poor selection and internal politics in the board not helping their cause either.
The team that Shanaka led during their away series in India some six months back had more or less same bunch of players but what Sri Lanka had done successfully is change their T20 gameplan, which is now filled with aggression.
Sri Lanka even had a woeful start to the tournament, they were thrashed by Afghanistan, but Shanaka feels that loss ‘happened for a good reason.’ But they made a stunning comeback with five successive wins in the tournament after getting beaten by Afghanistan in its opening game.
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“We had serious discussions after that game. Each and every individual did well for us and that is how we became champions. The fielding improved a lot in the finals. We had some mistakes in the league stages. We were 100% today,” he said.