The future of Sri Lanka will be on show when the home team takes on favourites India in the final of the Asia Cup Emerging Team Trophy championship at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo today.
The Indians go into the final with a better record taking into account their showing in the qualifying round games, while Sri Lanka can take heart from the fact that they raised their game at the right moment to beat Bangladesh by four wickets in the semi final.
It was mostly down to the 20-year old Kamindu Mendis from Richmond College showing the stuff he is made of as he blasted an unbeaten 91 as Sri Lanka chased down a challenging 238 target.
Mendis’ knock ensured Sri Lanka were home in the 49th over after some scares as the home team lost six wickets. He is the leading run-maker in the Sri Lanka line-up with an aggregate of 174 runs and interestingly also the leading wicket-taker with seven scalps from the three qualifying round games which makes him the player that India will closely watch and monitor.
But the occasion is also crucial for the rest of the players at a time Sri Lanka is now hard-pressed to groom and prepare future players with time running out and the rest of the top 10 cricket-playing nations in the world leaving no stone unturned.
Being in the same group Sri Lanka were beaten by India in the qualifying round but today’s match is expected to be a different genre altogether as the touring team can also come under pressure while carrying the unbeaten tag into the final.
India will have to look forward to its leading batsman and opener Himmat Singh who has hammered 207 runs in the run-up to the final that includes seven sixes and a top score of 126.
Sri Lanka squad: Kamindu Mendis, Lasith Embuldeniya, Shammu Ashan, Hasitha Boyagoda, Jehan Daniel, Asitha Fernando, Nishan Maduska, Avishka Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Asela Gunaratne, Shehan Madushanka, Nishan Peiris, Sandun Weerakkody, Shehan Jayasuriya, Wanindu Hasaranga.
India squad: Jayant Yadav, Ankush Bains, Siddharth Desai, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Himmat Singh, Deepak Hooda, Mayant Markande, Shams Mulani, Prasidh Krishna, Ankit Rajpoot, Nitish Rana, Atit Sheth, Shivam Mavi, Simran Singh.
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