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'Sri Lanka bowlers will challenge India' - Sunil Gavaskar backs IND vs SL to play Asia Cup 2025 final

Mayank Bande

'Sri Lanka bowlers will challenge India' - Sunil Gavaskar backs IND vs SL to play Asia Cup 2025 final image

India's 7-wicket victory over Pakistan ended with the Men in Blue chasing 172 runs in 18.5 overs at Dubai. The win has put them in pole position to make it to the final of Asia Cup 2025, with two Super Four matches to be played.

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India will next face Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They have won all four of their matches convincingly, without any opposition testing the Indian batters.

With four teams left in the competition, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has weighed in with his opinion on the toughest side that can challenge the Indians.

Which team can challenge India in the Asia Cup?

While speaking to Gaurav Kapur on Sony Sports, about the best-suited team to make the final alongside India, Gavaskar seemed impressed with the options that Sri Lankans boast ahead of their clash against Pakistan.

So far, Hasaranga has been the best Lankan spinner in the competition with 5 wickets in 16 overs at an impressive economy rate of just 5.75 runs per over.

Other spin bowling options in Charith Asalanka's arsenal include Dunit Wellalage, Kamindu Mendis, and Maheesh Theekshana.

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"Sri Lanka looks like the favorites to reach the final against India. Their bowling has some variety. They lost to Bangladesh on the final ball. Bangladesh batted well against them and paced their chase well, but I think Sri Lanka's bowling attack can test our batting more than Bangladesh or Pakistan," he said.

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After four matches, the Indian batters have been dismissed four times at the hands of spinners -- Abhishek Sharma has fallen prey to a spinner twice in three face-offs, while Axar Patel and Shivam Dube once each.

Over the years, Indians have particularly struggled against the spin bowling of Wanindu Hasaranga, who has picked 17 wickets in 12 innings against the Men in Blue at an average of 15.9.

The Lankan pacers Nuwan Thushara and Dushmanta Chameera have also shown signs of being able to dominate the powerplay. Facing off against the likes of Gill, Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, they could put India under severe pressure with early wickets.

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Mayank Bande

Mayank Bande has been a content producer at The Sporting News since 2023 and has extensive experience in cricket writing. His work has previously appeared on platforms like OneCricket and Last Word on Sports. Beyond cricket, Mayank closely follows football as an FC Barcelona supporter, along with tennis and Olympic sports. Despite holding a degree in Business Administration, he chose to pursue a career in sports, bringing sharp analysis to his writing as someone who once played cricket.