Asia Cup 2023 (Super Four): India Create New ODI Asia Cup Record By Defending Lowest Total (Only 50-Overs Matches)

Last Tuesday (12 September) night, the India vs Sri Lanka encounter produced a thrilling low-scoring ODI match at the Super Four stage in the Asia Cup 2023 at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. During that game, India created history by defending the lowest Asia Cup total in a full 50-over match.

Asia Cup 2023: India vs Sri Lanka (Super Four) — India were all out for 213 runs; Sri Lankan spinners took all ten wickets

After thrashing Pakistan by 228 runs the previous night, Indian captain Rohit Sharma chose to bat first against the hosts Sri Lanka. On the spin-friendly tough batting pitch, Indian openers, skipper Rohit and Shubman Gill set up an 80-run partnership. While Gill scored 19 runs, Rohit completed his 10000 ODI runs and scored 53 runs off 48 balls (seven fours and two sixes) before losing his wicket.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma scored another half-century (Image Credit: X)

For the fourth wicket, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan had a crucial 63-run partnership. While Rahul (39) and Ishan (33) were dismissed on 30s, Axar Patel scored the vital 26 runs off 36 balls (only six) in the rain-interrupted first innings. India were ultimately all out for 213 runs in 49.1 overs as Sri Lanka recorded their 14th consecutive bowling out their opponents in the ODI format.   

Sri Lankan spinners took all ten Indian wickets in that first innings. It was the 10th time in ODI history that spinners collected all ten wickets in an innings. After the 2001 Colombo (RPS) ODI against Zimbabwe (12 December 2001), it was the only second time Sri Lankan spinners picked up all ten wickets in an innings.

While the 20-year-old left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage became the youngest spinner (20 years and 246 days) to record an ODI fifer against India (5/40), off-spinner Charith Asalanka bagged four wickets (4/18) and another off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana took the other one wicket (1/41).

Asia Cup 2023: India vs Sri Lanka (Super Four) — Sri Lanka were bundled out for 172 runs; Kuldeep Yadav shined again

In reply, Sri Lanka regularly lost the wickets as the hosts were bundled out for 172 runs in 41.3 overs. With that crucial 41-run victory, India booked their place in the Final of the Asia Cup 2023. Meanwhile, India also ended Sri Lanka’s dream run of a 13-match winning streak, the second-largest ODI winning streak for a team (after Australia’s 21-match winning streak).

Team India advanced to the Asia Cup 2023 Final (Image Credit: X)

Dunith Wellalage scored the fighting 42 not out off 46 balls (three fours and only six), and Dhananjaya de Silva had a crucial knock of 41 runs in 66 balls (five fours). However, Charith Asalanka (22) was the only other Lankan batter to reach the 20-run mark in that low-scoring game.

Apart from Axar Patel, all the Indian bowlers shined and picked up at least one wicket. The left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav once again destroyed the opposition batting line-up with his four-fer as he had the match-winning bowling figures of 9.3-0-43-4. Also, Jasprit Bumrah (2/30) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/33) collected two wickets each.

Asia Cup 2023: India vs Sri Lanka (Super Four) — Team India set a new lowest defending total record in ODI Asia Cup history

While India successfully defended the 213 runs, it was the lowest defending total in the Asia Cup history with only full 50-over matches. Sri Lanka were the previous record holder in this list with 214 runs against India at Cuttack on 28 December 1990.

However, talking about the overall ODI Asia Cup record, India just recorded the third-lowest defending total.

Asia Cup (ODI) Record: Lowest defending totals

(Updated till September 12) (Special Notes: Played Overs = Team faced the overs; Innings Overs = Team was originally scheduled to play, including reduced overs)