Sri Lanka’s triumph in the Asia Cup 2022 is surely among the major cricket highlights this year. For the beleaguered country that has suffered monumental economic and political breakdown some months back, cricket has come as some sort of panacea.
For this, the entire credit must go to the highly talented and supremely motivated players plus support staff who have overcome heavy odds to put up a string of fantastic performances in the past few months.
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Before this Asia Cup victory too, the Sri Lankans had played admirably in bilateral home series against Australia and Pakistan against the backdrop of unending turmoil and strife. The zeal to provide some cheer to their countrymen through their marvellous exploits on the field makes for one of the remarkable stories in the world in recent months.
When the Asia Cup began, the buzz was all about India, Pakistan and their rivalry which is without doubt cricket’s biggest blockbuster. While India and Pakistan were the main attraction, Sri Lanka were clubbed as side role players along with Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
As it transpired, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan shone in comparison to India and Pakistan in intent as well as performance.
While the Afghans could not reach the final, they put up spirited fight against the ‘big’ teams. In fact, in the league stage they beat both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and in the Super 4, lost to Pakistan by a whisker.
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Sri Lanka were obviously the most impressive. After losing a nerve-tingling match to Afghanistan first up, they came back through determination and flair in equal measure, beating Bangladesh to ensure a place in the Super 4, and then going on to beat India and Pakistan in this round. In the final, they thrashed Pakistan with a robust all-round performance.
Come the World Cup in October, Sri Lanka will be a team to watch out for. They have a well-balanced side, some fantastic match-winners in Wanindu Hasaranga, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Kusal Mendis, and a calm and astute captain in Dhasun Shanaka. Most importantly, they have huge ambition and now also have the Asiad Cup as a massive confidence-booster.
Both India and Pakistan bombed in the Asia Cup against expectations. India’s performance must be considered a trifle more disappointing because they failed to reach the final, which Pakistan did.
Having beaten Pakistan in the first phase, India lost in the Super 4 to them, then stumbled against Sri Lanka to round off a miserable campaign.
Intense focus on their rivalry and the enormous pressure this casts on players of the two teams could be a reason why India and Pakistan were below par. It’s almost as if no other match they play in the tournament matters as much. This can lead to a blinkered, unbalanced approach. Beating each other, not winning the tournament, becomes an end in itself.
Where India is concerned, the Asia Cup defeat problem gets compounded by the poor record in multi-nation tournaments over the past several years.
This was India’s second consecutive flop show in a multi-nation T20 tournament. In the previous T20 World Cup played late last year, the team had crashed out before the knock-out stage.
While India’s record in bilateral contests in white ball cricket is excellent, failure to win tournaments featuring multiple teams is worrisome, exposing a glaring faultline in the mental preparation of the team.
Taut, last-over finishes in which India stumbled badly in the Asia Cup are the staple of T20 cricket. More so now with the gap between all teams having narrowed down substantially.
The team which holds it nerve in tense situations is the more likely to win. Teams with even the best talent are likely to fail if players cannot handle pressure.
Consistency in focus and mental toughness is as important as batting and bowling form for winning tournaments. This is an aspect which chief coach and captain Rohit Sharma will have to work on in the weeks leading up to the T20 World Cup starting in Australia in October.
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