SUPERSTARS FIZZLE OUT

India All But Out Of Asia Cup After Lankans Outsmart Rohit & Co. In Thriller

Dubai: For a team that came to the Asia Cup boasting that the tournament was merely "preparation" for the T20 World Cup, India were dealt a harsh lesson by Sri Lanka on Tuesday night. All of Team India's inadequacies came to the fore as Sri Lanka, with immaculate planning and indomitable spirit, took pole position to make the final by chasing down 174 with one ball and six wickets to spare.

India, who have played musical chairs with their playing XI, find themselves hoping for a miracle to make the final, having lost both their Super 4 matches. India aspired to be fearless, carefree and aggressive but it was Sri Lanka instead who displayed these qualities on the night.

Ten months on from the debacle of the T20 World Cup in the UAE, India are still vulnerable in crunch games.

Openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis set the tone for the chase, hammering 97 for the first wicket in 11.1 overs. They faced 37 balls each and scored 52 and 57 respectively. Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin, who came in for Ravi Bishnoi, brought India back into the contest in the middle overs. But captain Dasun Shanaka (33* off 18) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25* off 17) put on an unbeaten 64 in 34 balls to expose India's lackluster death bowling.