India’s Asia Cup 2023 takeaway: lots of new pieces but no clear pattern
The HinduOn August 30, the early morning rain-washed streets of Kandy were lined with devotees assembled for the evening procession of the Esala Perahera. | Photo Credit: AFP Seven of the nine games were interrupted by the island’s mercurial rain, and Sri Lanka embodied the essence of the fickle weather in a 10-wicket defeat against India in the final as Mohammed Siraj’s mesmerising six-wicket haul ended the summit clash, the third-shortest completed game in the format, in the blink of an eye. Spell from hell: Mohammed Siraj’s bowling figures of 6 for 21 against Sri Lanka in the final are the second-best for any bowler in the men’s ODI Asia Cup. | Photo Credit: AFP Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s brisk starts in the PowerPlay showed India wasn’t beholden to the template of gradual acceleration and could take format disruptors such as England by the horns. | Photo Credit: AFP A batting collapse against Sri Lanka’s trial by spin and a shock defeat to Bangladesh in the Super Four reiterated the middle-order’s struggles against spin, particularly against the left-arm orthodox type.