🏏 India’s Innings: Power & Strategy

India batted first and posted a strong total:

202/5 in 20 overs

Abhishek Sharma was a key spark — 61 off 31 balls, his third consecutive half-century in this tournament.

Tilak Varma held the innings with composure, playing a crucial knock (49* or near that).

Sanju Samson also contributed important runs in the middle overs to keep India in control.

India’s plan: get a strong base, avoid collapse, and leverage the deep batting order in the final overs. They executed well — note the balance between aggression upfront (Abhishek) and stability in the middle.

🔥 Sri Lanka’s Chase: Brilliance & Missed Edges

Sri Lanka responded with fire and resilience.

The standout storyline was the 127-run partnership between Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera for the second wicket, off just ~70 balls.

Nissanka smashed a century (107 off 58 balls) — the first ton of the tournament — and in doing so, broke two records previously held by Virat Kohli.

Perera also made a strong contribution (scored 58) to keep the momentum going.

Sri Lanka matched India’s total: 202/5 in 20 overs — pushing the game into a Super Over.

However, there was a controversial moment:

In the Super Over, on the 4th legal delivery from Arshdeep Singh, Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka tried to steal a bye. Sanju Samson hit the stumps at the striker’s end, and the on-field umpire called it caught behind. Sri Lanka went for a review; replay showed no edge, and by then, the decision had become invalid because the umpire’s initial call had made the ball dead.

Sri Lanka challenged, Suryakumar Yadav even engaged in an argument with the umpires, but the final decision stood – not out.

🏁 Super Over: India Calm, Sri Lanka Rattled

The Super Over sealed it:

Arshdeep Singh bowled a sensational over: he restricted Sri Lankan batters to just 2 runs, picking up 2 wickets in the process.

India’s chase was immediate. Suryakumar Yadav opened the Super Over batting and sealed victory with a boundary on the very first ball.

So India sealed the match, kept their unbeaten run alive, and carried massive momentum into the final.

Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Sri Lanka, though already out of final contention, wanted to end with pride. India, unbeaten so far, looked to maintain momentum heading into the final.

Toss: Sri Lanka won toss and chose to bowl first. This decision would draw scrutiny later.