On this day in 2008: India’s final crisis continued against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2008 as the island nation defeated the Men in Blue by 100 runs to lift the trophy. After entering the Asia Cup final in 2008, India did not have good figures as they lost 17 of their 24 finals against Sri Lanka. The much awaited encounter was being played on July 6, 2008 at the National Stadium in Karachi.
The coin flips in favor of MS Dhoni and he invites Mahela Jayawardene-side to put a total on the board. India were blown away by Sanath Jayasuriya in the first innings as he smashed a blistering 125 off 114 balls. Tillakaratne Dilshan also played an important role as he added 56 runs to the scoreboard.
Jayasuriya’s exploits ensured that Sri Lanka reached an impressive total of 273 runs in their 50 overs. RP Singh and Ishant Sharma took three wickets each for India. Irfan Pathan also took two wickets while Virender Sehwag took one wicket.
In the second innings of the high-profile game, Sehwag remanded the opposition bowlers. The Indian opener created havoc on the field as he smashed a scintillating 60 off just 36 balls. The match was heading towards an early end after India scored 76 for one at the end of nine overs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/NVvcqH9FFME
However, then spinner Ajantha Mendis came and went on to win the entire game. Mendis blew away the entire Indian team by throwing his best ever spell in ODI history. The spinner took six wickets including Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan and RP Singh.
Mendis conceded just 13 runs in his eight overs at an economy rate of 1.63. The off-spinner’s exploits ensured that India fell to 173. Thus, Sri Lanka won the final by 100 runs to lift their fourth Asia Cup.
Get all the latest updates cricket news, cricket pictures, cricket videos And cricket score Here