‘Very bad shot selection was the reason,’ ; Charith Asalanka reflects on 3rd T-20 loss

India prevailed over Sri Lanka in the final T-20 match of the series in a thrilling game that was decided on the basis of the super over. In both innings, Sri Lanka seemed to be in the driver’s seat. With 28 required to win off 29 balls and 9 wickets in hand, most of the Indian fans must have turned off their television sets. However a story similar to the 2024 T-20 World Cup final unfolded. 

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Sri Lanka faced a batting collapse while chasing a modest total of 138. Sri Lanka lost 7 wickets in a span of 25 balls with only 22 runs being scored in between. “I am really disappointed about our batting line-up, especially middle-order and late middle-order. Very bad shot selection was the reason. Spinners were bowling that's why Hasaranga came up the order. We gave him the licence to hit one or two boundaries, but that didn't work for us. Wrong shot selection on this pitch. When the ball gets old, our shot selection should be spot-on, it's really hard to bat on these tracks. Definitely , we can't give excuses. As professional cricketers, we need to do a little bit more than this. I want to see good batting performances in the ODIs, not like T20s. Our top three and four have done well and that's the only positive I have. Boys will do something better,” Sri Lankan batsman Charith Asalanka said after the game.