All eyes will be on the playing 11 of Team India in the final of Asia Cup 2023 against Sri Lanka. India will be forced to make a change if the conditions are spin-friendly. That is because their left-arm spinner Axar Patel has been ruled out due to a thigh strain. He sustained the injury in the last Super 4 stage match against Bangladesh. Axar has been replaced by Washington Sundar, who is also a spin-bowling all-rounder. Sundar quickly joined the team in Sri Lanka after Axar got ruled out of the final on Saturday.
Sri Lanka has also been hit by an injury concern. They had already lost key players like Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera, and now their mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana has injured his hamstring. He got injured in the Super 4 clash against Pakistan. He has been replaced by 27-year-old offspinner Sahan Arachchige.
These changes are likely to have an impact on the playing 11s of both teams.
It will be interesting to see how India manages the Shreyas Iyer situation. Iyer made a comeback in the Asia Cup and played a game against Pakistan. However, Iyer got injured ahead of the India vs Pakistan match in the Super 4s. Iyer’s injury made KL Rahul’s return to the playing XI possible in that match. Rahul scored a hundred and won the trust of the management, and has performed well since then. Ishan Kishan, at the same time, has also produced good knocks. If Iyer is fit before the final, which seems likely, will he get a game? If yes, who will he replace in the playing XI? These are some questions that will be answered soon.
India had rested as many as five players in the match against Bangladesh. They were Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj. They are most likely to return to the playing 11 for the final today in Colombo. Let’s see who Sri Lanka picks in place of Theekshana. The mystery spinner has been brilliant in the powerplay overs, and Sri Lanka will have to find an able replacement who can keep the Indian batters at bay in the first ten overs.
India Probable Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar/Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka Probable Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madhushan/Dushan Hemantha, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana
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