'This team can go very far' - Jayasuriya 'fairly satisfied' with Sri Lanka's Asia Cup

Head coach Sanath Jayasuriya couldn't believe Sri Lanka had bottled yet another last over against India in their Asia Cup Super Fours game in Dubai.

Their loss instantly brought back memories from July 2024, when they squandered what should have been a straightforward chase against India. On that scarcely believable night in Pallekele, Sri Lanka needed just nine runs from two overs with six wickets in hand. Yet, they stumbled against the bowling of Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav as the game went into a Super Over, where they managed just one run, which Suryakumar took one delivery to score.

On Friday, Sri Lanka needed 12 runs to win in the last over with six wickets remaining and centurion Pathum Nissanka on strike. But he fell immediately and when Dasun Shanaka hit the last ball towards wide long-on with Sri Lanka needing three to win, there was a chance of closing out the game in regulation time. Except, Shanaka sprawled a full-length dive to complete the second run to level the scores, anticipating the throw to be fired at his end, completely unaware that Kuldeep Yadav had misfielded and that there could have been a chance for a third. It meant the game was to be decided in the Super Over, where Sri Lanka stumbled again.

"I would've preferred to finish games in normal time," Jayasuriya said at the post-match press conference. "No captain or coach wants to go to a Super Over. Unfortunately, Dasun missed completing the third run. But no, there's no mental block against India. Our batting line-up is strong, and we've given them confidence. Chasing 200 (203) is never easy, but we almost did it, which shows the quality we have."

There is no doubting Sri Lanka's class or quality, and few embody it better than Nissanka. Having first broken through as a Test batter in 2021, he has since blossomed into a formidable white-ball player. Just last week, after the group stage, Nissanka spoke glowingly of Jayasuriya's influence, and the freedom the coach has given him to develop a niche, along with a leeway for mistakes. On Friday, he repaid that faith in style, turning what looked a daunting chase of 203 into a stroll at one stage with a sublime 107 off 58 balls.

What made the innings even more remarkable was the character behind it. Jayasuriya revealed afterwards that Nissanka had been carrying groin and hamstring niggles since the group stage. Yet, his determination to deliver for the team drove him through the pain. On a muggy night when as many as three Indian fielders cramped up, Nissanka put his body on the line.

It took an ill-judged flick straight into the hands of Varun Chakravarthy at short fine leg with 12 needed off the final over to finally stop him. Jayasuriya was all praise for Nissanka and Kusal Perera, who scored 58 off 32 balls during their second-wicket stand of 127 in just 70 deliveries.

"When you're chasing 202 (203), you have to keep finding boundaries," Jayasuriya said. "Their partnership was the key. The momentum shifted when we started losing wickets. That's natural in a chase because someone has to take risks. Sadly, Pathum got out at the wrong time, and later on, the ball began to turn more. Still, it was a very good game of cricket.

"Kusal is one of the best players of spin in our team. He played that role well again, though I'd have liked him to bat longer. Both took calculated risks, and when they wanted boundaries, they executed them. Pathum also had a bit of a hamstring issue recently but still gave 100% for the team, which shows his commitment."

Sri Lanka will return home without a win in the Super Fours from their three games; such a result didn't seem likely when they went through the group stages unbeaten, following wins against Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong in what was dubbed as the group of death. Reflecting on their campaign and looking ahead to the next six months leading into the T20 World Cup in February, Jayasuriya stressed on the need for the batters to adapt faster to challenging conditions.

"In T20 cricket, assessing conditions quickly is everything," Jayasuriya said. "In Abu Dhabi, for example, the first-round pitches had pace and bounce, but in the second round, things changed, and we were too slow to adapt. That cost us. The disappointment was the Bangladesh match in the Super Four - 168 on that pitch was a good score, but we didn't bowl well enough to defend it. Against Pakistan, we didn't assess the conditions [in Abu Dhabi] quickly enough, and were late to adapt.

"Today, India played very well to get over 200. Our boys showed they're capable of chasing that, but again we just fell short. Apart from that Bangladesh game, I'm fairly satisfied, though disappointed not to reach the final. We have the batting and bowling quality. The key is to execute plans according to conditions and opposition. If we do that consistently, this team can go very far."