Following India’s thrilling Super Over victory over Sri Lanka in the last Super Four stage match of the Asia Cup, bowling coach Morne Morkel confirmed that Hardik Pandya, an all-rounder, and Abhishek Sharma were cramps-off from the field during Sri Lanka’s batting innings.
India held an undefeated run in the Super Four stage after withstanding a fierce attack from centurion Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera, sealing a win on a razor’s edge. But if anything worried the team was Pandya’s inability to bowl beyond the first over and having to leave the field for some time. Sharma was also away from the field during the Sri Lanka innings.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Morkel said, “Both of them struggled with cramps. Hardik, we will assess tonight and tomorrow morning and make a call. But both of them struggled with cramps. Abhishek is fine.
Read Also:- Why is Shami Still Not Picked by Selectors Despite Playing Domestic Cricket Regularly?
Battered by the Sri Lankan batsmen, frontline pacers Arshdeep Singh (1/46 in four overs) and Harshit Rana (0/44 in three overs) conceded 90 runs in just seven balls. Neither Arshdeep nor Harshit has played more than two games this tournament so far, with Bumrah around. Morkel refused to allow that to be an excuse for their less-than-stellar performance against Sri Lanka.
“In our setup, we try to get away from the excuse culture. The effort is put in by these guys at training, and we expect them to step up and deliver. Sometimes it comes down to lack of game time. You can bowl all you want in the nets, but nothing beats game time. As a team, we expect guys to deliver. It is not happening for them right now, but in the bigger picture, the team is winning. These guys are X factors and match winners on their given day,” he said.
India has remained unbeaten and advanced to the final, while Sri Lanka exited the Super Four stage without a single win, despite having entered it unbeaten. The match saw star performances from both sides, with India holding their nerve in crunch moments.
