Team India will be aiming to end their five-year trophyless run in multi-nation events when they take on defending champions Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final on Sunday in Colombo. While the talk leading up to the final has been on Axar Patel and the multiple injuries he incurred on Friday, Sri Lanka too will be without the services of their premier spinner Maheesh Theekshana owing to a hamstring injury.
A look at India’s trophy cabinet will reveal that the team has gone without winning a trophy since 2018, when Rohit Sharma, now the full-time all-format skipper, led a second-string side to Asia Cup glory in Dubai by beating Bangladesh in the final by three wickets. Adding to that, the end of India’s wait for a trophy haul in a multi-nation event will go well given that it will happen less than three weeks before the ODI World Cup at home.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD OVERALL (in ODIs):
Matches: 166
India win: 97
Sri Lanka win: 57
No result: 11
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD ASIA CUP:
Matches (ODIs): 20
India win: 10
Sri Lanka win: 10
LAST 5 MEETINGS:
India beat Sri Lanka by 41 runs in Asia Cup Super Four match in Colombo – September 12, 2023.
India beat Sri Lanka by 317 runs in 3rd ODI match of bilateral series in Thiruvananthapuram – January 15, 2023.
India beat Sri Lanka by 4 wickets in 2nd ODI match of bilateral series in Kolkata – January 12, 2023.
India beat Sri Lanka by 67 runs in 1st ODI match of bilateral series in Guwahati – January 10, 2023.
Sri Lanka beat India by 3 wickets in 3rd ODI match of bilateral series in Colombo – July 23, 2021.
FORM GUIDE
India L, W, W, W, N/R (last five completed ODI matches)
The Men in Blue have been in an impressive form in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 where they have lost just one match while their opener against Pakistan in Pallekele was washed out. India then beat Nepal in the group stage to make the Super Four, where they crushed Pakistan and Sri Lanka to make the final, before losing against Bangladesh in an inconsequential tie.
Sri Lanka W, L, W, W, W (last five completed ODI matches)
Like India, Sri Lanka only suffered only one defeat on their Asia Cup campaign en route to the final, which came against Rohit’s men. They beat Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the group stage to make the Super Four, where they beat Bangladesh yet again before scripting a thriller of a win against Pakistan in a virtual semi-final to make the summit clash for the 12th time in Asia Cup.
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