After a brilliant fight that almost guided the Indian cricket team home in the last match of the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four stage, Axar Patel will miss the most important match for the Indian cricket team now, the Asia Cup 2023 Final.
Today, India and Sri Lanka are gearing up for the grand finale of the Asia Cup 2023, set to unfold in Colombo. The thrilling finale is poised to commence at 3 PM Indian Standard Time (IST), hosted at the prestigious PR Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka.
Both Sri Lanka and India are two of the biggest power house in the history of the game. The two cricket titans have a history of neck-and-neck encounters in the Asia Cup, each boasting an impressive tally of 11 victories.
The Indian squad is poised to reintroduce key players, including the likes of Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav, who were rested for the last Super Four stage match against Bangladesh after India had already confirmed its place in the final before the match.
Sri Lanka clinched their spot in the final through a nail-biting contest, narrowly defeating Pakistan by two wickets during the Super Four stage. This hard-fought victory sets the stage for an eagerly awaited face-off against India. In Sunday’s ultimate battle, Sri Lanka aims to match India’s outstanding record of seven Asia Cup triumphs, marking their second consecutive final appearance and their 11th overall.
Unfortunately, Maheesh Theekshana will be absent from the lineup due to a hamstring injury. Also there is injury news from the Indian team’s camp. While Shreyas Iyer’s fitness still remains a question mark, now the Indian team will even miss the services of all-rounder Axar Patel. Patel suffered multiple hits on his finger during the match against Bangladesh and has a forearm and hamstring injury to add further to the misery.
Axar Patel almost guided the Indian cricket team to victory over the Bangladesh cricket team with his brilliant 42 runs of 34 balls, but in the end fell short as India lost the match by 6 runs. Patel will surely be a big miss for the Indian cricket team. He gave India a useful batting depth and was handy against spin bowling too, a area team India struggled against in the Asia Cup 2023. Washington Sundar was been called-up as replacement for the left-arm all-rounder.
