The India team is like a Japanese gyuto chef’s knife
before the Asia Cup final: made of layers of high-carbon steel that have been
precisely crafted. The raw materials utilised and the techniques employed to
temper them are of the highest calibre. Perhaps there has to be one last
polish. India, however, are efficient, harmonious, and frequently stunning to
behold.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is like the rusty cast
iron saucepan that has been handed down through the family for many years.
Their work is enjoyable, and they are surrounded by vivid recollections of a
colourful past. However, the base has chilly spots, the lid is worn, and the
enamel is broken in some parts.
This is not to suggest Sri Lanka is the older squad;
in fact, they are the younger group, with two of their bowlers being only 20
and four of their top five hitters being under the age of 29. However, they
have played in a throwback manner throughout this tournament, and as far as
throwbacks go, they could not have chosen a better time period. Sri Lanka
appeared in five ICC event finals between 2007 and 2014. They succeeded thanks
to an onslaught that was incredibly diverse.
They have often had luck in this competition, like in
the case of Afghanistan, who did not comprehend that if they had hit boundaries
to win their match in Lahore, they may still have eliminated Sri Lanka from the
group stage. Although Sri Lanka had many injured bowlers who didn’t even make
their roster, it also helped that Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf were unavailable
for the Thursday simulated knockout match.
Unlike Sri Lanka, who has opener Dasun Shanaka, whose
last 10 innings have the following stats: 2, 9, 24, 5, 14*, 1, 5, 0, 5, and 1,
India has Rohit Sharma, one of the IPL’s most successful captains, a renowned
tactician, one of the top players from the most recent World Cup.
While Shanaka’s squad has 14 victories in their past
15 games, Rohit’s team has four loses in their last ten result matchups.
Looking at the team rosters, it nearly appears impossible that Sri Lanka can
compete with this India team. India has vastly superior talent, better
training, and more resources than any other country. There may be disagreement
about whether Shardul Thakur truly brings enough value to warrant inclusion in
this XI. This, though, pales in comparison. India is a team that leaves very
little to chance and has planned, constructed, and honed its play. They also
have strong players like Virat Kohli and Rohit on their roster.
However, Sri Lanka operates in the gaps of chance.
Whereas India has made an attempt to thoroughly understand both themselves and
their rivals, Sri Lanka is obviously lacking in knowledge. They don’t yet know
what their ceiling is, they still don’t have a combination down, their captain
is under extreme personal pressure, and they are virtually missing their entire
first-choice attack for this game.
In contests between sides who are clinical, and teams
that are chaotic, we know which tends to win. But they don’t always.