The revival of Sri Lanka as contenders on the world stage continued apace as they beat India in the Asia Cup at the Dubai International Stadium.
The six-wicket win means the Sri Lankans are almost assured a place in Sunday’s final, while India’s title defence is all but over.
They completed it in nervy fashion, scurrying two byes off the penultimate ball of the final over, which included an overthrow by the bowler Arshdeep Singh.
Had either Arshdeep or wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant hit the stumps with the respective throws, each of the batters would have been run out. As it was, they both missed.
Sri Lanka, riding a wave of optimism after beating Afghanistan in the first Super 4 fixture, were deserving winners, even though India had started in formidable fashion.
Rohit Sharma hinted in the previous game against Pakistan he was returning to form, and he underlined the point with a fine innings.
India v Pakistan ratings - in pictures
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PAKISTAN RATINGS: Mohammad Rizwan - 9. Exceptional Asia Cup for the wicketkeeper batsman with scores of 43, 78 and 71. Looks like he just won't get out. Taking a lot of pressure off captain Babar Azam. However, his workload with bat and gloves in the oppressive heat will be a concern for the team. AFP -
Babar Azam - 6.5. Has been below par with the bat but his captaincy was spot on in Dubai on Sunday. The decision to send Mohammad Nawaz up the order was a masterstroke. Looks like Pakistan will adopt a floating batting order from here on, which should help them maximise the talent of Nawaz and Shadab Khan. AP -
Fakhar Zaman - 4. Got stuck on 15 from 18 balls, which forced the promotion of Nawaz up the order. Needs to share the load of Rizwan at the top of the order as Azam is also not in form. AP -
Mohammad Nawaz - 10. Outstanding. Has been excellent with the ball this Asia Cup (seven wickets at 6.5 economy) and turned the match on his head in Dubai by cracking 42 from just 20 balls. India had no answers and Pakistan found a genuine game-changer in the mould of Ravindra Jadeja. AP -
Khushdil Shah - 6. Did exactly what the team needed and hit a crucial boundary in the penultimate over. Gave the ideal support to Asif with an 11-ball 14. AP -
Asif Ali - 8. Struggled against the leg spin of Ravi Bishnoi and could have been out twice in the 18th over. But made the most of a dropped catch and took Bhuvneshwar Kumar apart. Should have finished the game with two needed from four balls. AFP -
Iftikhar Ahmed - 7. Came in with two needed from two and sealed the match on the first ball he faced. Soaked in all the pressure to steal the second run and avoid a last-ball drama. Getty -
Shadab Khan - 8. Dismissed the attacking KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. Has given away nothing with the ball so far. And can be really dangerous with the bat. Getty -
Haris Rauf - 6. Cranked up the speed gun past 150kph in his last over. Had it not been for two unexpected boundaries from tailender Ravi Bishnoi, would have had more respectable figures than 1-38. Getty -
Mohammad Hasnain - 6. Bowled the hard lengths and dismissed the in-form Hardik Pandya for a duck. Job well done. Looks like the dark days of his bowling action getting reported are behind him. AP -
Naseem Shah - 4. The most expensive bowler of the match. However, showed great heart and the speed never dropped, which augurs well for an attack where all three quicks bowl at 150kph. AP -
INDIA RATINGS: KL Rahul - 6.5. Batted like the fearless opener fans had become accustomed to a few seasons back. Took on the Pakistan quicks right from the start and laid the foundation for a huge score. But the middle order did not kick on. Reuters -
Rohit Sharma - 6. As attacking as Rahul, set the tone for the batting line-up. However, as captain he missed a few tricks. Deepak Hooda ended up being used just as a batsman and not a bowler even with two bowlers leaking more than 10 an over; Dinesh Karthik could have been better utilised in that position. Reuters -
Virat Kohli - 9. Vintage Kohli at his best. The clarity of thinking and conviction in strokeplay was the highlight of the day for India, and possibly the biggest positive this season. He not only held the innings together with his 44-ball 60 but also kept the tempo up despite losing wickets at the other end. AFP -
Suryakumar Yadav - 4. A score of 13 from 10 balls is not catastrophic but his wicket robbed India of the momentum they had gained by the halfway point. The rest of the batsmen were playing catch up thereafter. AFP -
Rishabh Pant - 4. Failed to get going with the bat and will find it difficult to keep Dinesh Karthik out of the team. AFP -
Hardik Pandya - 3. After dominating in the first India-Pak match, failed almost completely on Sunday. Got out for a duck and was carted for 43 runs. Got the wicket of Rizwan, though. Has bailed India out on numerous occasion of late, so an off day is not a big concern. AFP -
Deepak Hooda - 3. Just 16 runs from 14 balls in the death overs were poor returns, especially because Kohli was batting at the other end. Did not bowl as well, making his selection a strange choice. AFP -
Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 4. Released the pressure when Pakistan needed 26 from 12 balls. Was smashed for two fours, a six and bowled two wides to concede 19 in the penultimate over. Not good enough from India's most experienced death bowler. AFP -
Ravi Bishnoi - 8. Hit two fours off the final two balls of the Indian innings, to take the score past 180. Was almost unplayable as he gave away just 26 with his quick leg spin and googlies. Could have had match-winner Asif Ali twice in the 18th over, but Arshdeep dropped a sitter at short third man and match slipped away. AP -
Arshdeep Singh - 4. Was brilliant with the ball, after a horror outing against Hong Kong. Bowled some good yorkers in final over while defending just seven. However, dropped an absolute dolly off Asif Ali in the 18th over, and that will likely haunt him for the rest of his career. AP -
Yuzvendra Chahal - 3. While other spinners have been tough to negotiate in the Asia Cup, Chahal has been dealt with rather easily in helpful conditions. Gave away 43 runs on Sunday. Does not bode well for the hard surfaces in Australia during the T20 World Cup. AFP
The India captain made 72 in 41 balls. It was just his second half century in 17 innings in T20 international cricket.
India seemed set for a mammoth total when he was firing and they were 110 for two at the start of the 13th, but their progress stalled.
It started with Rohit’s dismissal, when he could only find Pathum Nissanka at point with an upper cut off Chamika Karunaratne’s slower-ball bouncer.
Dilshan Madushanka, the left-arm swing bowler, was the pick of Sri Lanka’s attack. His figures of three for 24 were impressive enough, but it was the nature of the dismissals that will live longest in the memory.
First of all, he uprooted Virat Kohli’s middle and off stumps, getting the former India captain for a duck. Later on, he accounted for Pant and Deepak Hooda.
From the way Sri Lanka started their pursuit of 174 to win, it appeared they were in a rush to get the job done.
By the end of the power play, they were on 57 for no loss. By the time their openers were parted, they had reached 97 in 11 overs.
Nissanka and Kusal Mendis were equally spectacular in their hitting. Nissanka made 52 in 37 balls, while Mendis made 57 in the same amount.
Each fell to Yuzvendra Chahal, and the leg-spinner threatened to drag India back into it as he took three for 34 from his four overs.
It was not to be for the defending champions, though, as Dasun Shanaka and Bhanuka Rakapaksa then put on 64 in six overs to see their side to the win.
