Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar feels that India cannot afford to take the home team Sri Lanka lightly going into the finals of the Asia Cup. On Sunday, the Men in Blue will compete against a team led by Dasun Shanaka in the continental finals.

Although it appeared that Sri Lanka would win easily due to their excellent play in the game against Pakistan, they were surprised at the end by the disciplined bowling of Pakistan’s bowlers in the death overs of the game as Charith Asalanka held his nerves to finish things and guide the team to the continental event and prevailed by only two wickets.

Speaking to India Today, Sunil Gavaskar believes that the Sri Lanka side can turn the table around in crunch moments just like the New Zealand side and reckons that the team has committed players in their team, who can produce some match-winning performances for their side in the final of the continental event.

“No Absolutely not, Sri Lanka has always been a dangerous team and they can turn the table on you in an unsusceptible manner much like the New Zealand team they fly under the radar, Sri Lanka is also a similar kind of team they don’t have superstars players but they have got good committed players and not to forget they will have the support of the home crowd, So India cannot afford to take the game lightly,” Sunil Gavaskar said.

At the R Premdasa Stadium in Colombo on September 17, India will take on Sri Lanka in the grand final of Asia Cup 2023 and the Rohit Sharma-led side will look to gain the much-needed momentum going into the ODI World Cup.

Kuldeep Yadav Has Shown That He Can Make A Difference – Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Kuldeep Yadav for his brilliance with the ball in the Asia Cup 2023 and feels that bowling a little flatter in the middle overs has helped him to get the ball spin off the surface, which makes it difficult for the batters to play him.

“Kuldeep has shown that he can make a difference. Wrist spin, whether it is right-arm or left-arm, can get you wickets. And wickets are the best dot balls in limited-overs cricket. Also, the fact that he is bowling a little flatter, not giving that much air, getting the ball to spin, makes him difficult to play,” Sunil Gavaskar added.

Kuldeep Yadav was rested for the Super 4 game against Bangladesh on Friday and would walk into the playing 11 for the finals against the home team. The 28-year-old took nine wickets in India’s four matches, making him the top wicket-taker from India in the tournament.