Big blow for India before Asia Cup final, injuries cloud team plans
Dubai (The Uttam Hindu): Team India has suffered a major setback ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup final. All-rounder Hardik Pandya and batsman Tilak Varma have been injured. Pandya has a hamstring strain, leaving him uncertain about his participation. Meanwhile, Tilak Varma has a leg injury and his condition is unclear.
Both players suffered injuries in the final Super Four match against Sri Lanka on Friday. Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel stated in a press conference that Hardik's injury will be reviewed on Saturday. He added that Abhishek Sharma was also suffering from a strain but is now fit. India defeated Sri Lanka in a thrilling Super Over to reach the final. Sri Lanka scored the same number of runs in reply to India's 202. India achieved the Super Over target of 3 runs on the very first ball.
During the match, Hardik Pandya bowled the first over of Sri Lanka's innings, taking the wicket of Kusal Mendis. However, he left the field after that and did not return. Rinku Singh replaced him and took a catch in the Super Over. Similarly, Tilak Varma also suffered an injury during Sri Lanka's innings. In the 18th over, while trying to stop Dasun Shanaka's shot off Axar Patel, he injured his leg and left the field. Shivam Dubey fielded in his place.
Morkel said Team India will not hold any training sessions before Sunday's final against Pakistan. The players will be kept fit through ice box recovery, pool sessions, massages, and rest. He said, "The Super Over win against Sri Lanka is excellent preparation for the final. The team has learned a lot from bowling in difficult conditions and this experience will make the players even stronger."
Suryakumar praised the middle order.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav called this victory an important win in final-like conditions. He praised the brilliant batting of Sanju Samson (39 runs), Tilak Verma (49* runs) in the middle order and the bowling of Arshdeep Singh in the super over. Surya said, “Arshdeep has been performing consistently for the last 2-3 years. His confidence in the super over was amazing. I told him to trust his plan and not think anything different. For me, Arshdeep was the first choice in the super over.”