The Indian cricket team secured an impressive 10-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023 final, achieving several records in the process. Pacer Mohammed Siraj emerged as the hero, dismantling Sri Lanka’s top order with a remarkable six-wicket haul in the title clash. Supported by key contributions from Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, India bowled out the hosts for a mere 50 runs. Subsequently, led by captain Rohit Sharma, they wrapped up the chase in just 6.1 overs.
Following India’s historic win, wishes poured in from around the world on social media. However, former pacer Dodda Ganesh took the opportunity before the final match to commend India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, and called out fans for not acknowledging his role in the team’s success.
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“India on the verge of a thumping win today in the #AsiaCup finals. And, Rahul Dravid is still not trending on X. Well, only the blame goes to Rahul when the team fails, but when the team wins, he’ll be forgotten. Well, the kind of world we live in. I so badly want India to win the #WC2023 for the sake of Rahul Dravid. The unsung hero of Indian cricket #INDvSL,” Ganesh wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
India on the verge of a thumping win today in the #AsiaCup finals. And, Rahul Dravid is still not trending on X. Well, only the blame goes to Rahul when the team fails, but when the team wins, he’ll be forgotten. Well, the kind of world we live in. I so badly want India to win…
— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) September 17, 2023
Rahul Dravid had faced criticism when he rested Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma during the ODIs against West Indies in July, aiming to experiment with the team’s combinations.
Following their Asia Cup triumph, Team India’s next assignment is a three-match ODI series against Australia, commencing on Friday. Captain Rohit Sharma and BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the squad for the upcoming series on Monday.
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Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s highest Test wicket-taker among active cricketers, is set to make his ODI comeback since January 2022. Although Ashwin is not part of the World Cup squad, his selection has sparked speculation. The series against Australia serves as the final rehearsal for hosts India before the 2023 Cricket World Cup, set to begin on October 5.
Squad for the first two ODIs: KL Rahul (captain), Ravindra Jadeja (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Squad for third ODI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel (subject to fitness), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohammed Siraj.
