Despite India’s record chase against Pakistan on Sunday, India’s chance of reaching the Asia Cup final depends on the outcome of Sri Lanka-Bangladesh match on Tuesday. According to a report in The Indian Express, Sunday’s win alone is not enough for the defending champions to seal their place for Thursday's summit clash as India's fate now entirely depends on how Sri Lanka perform.
“India, whose Asia Cup campaign was thrown into disarray after their upset five-wicket loss to minnows Bangladesh, will now have to wait for the result of tomorrow's Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. If Sri Lanka win, India will go into the final but a defeat for the islanders will ensure that Bangladesh take on Pakistan in the title clash on Thursday. As per the rules of the tournament, if two teams are tied on points, head-to-head record will be considered, so Bangladesh will go into the final as they had beaten India in their league match,” says the report.
Meanwhile Javagal Srinath in his column in Hindustan Times writes that more than the 100 hundreds, which is a statistical marvel, what is amazing about Sachin is his enthusiasm and the manner in which he has conducted himself, on and off the field. “What stands out is also the manner in which he has handled the pressure of expectations and the adulation of a nation. People have come to expect the impossible from him every time. To his credit, Sachin has delivered more often than not. He has done so with dignity and quiet efficiency,” writes Srinath.
In the form of his life, Virat Kohli said he felt under pressure in the crunch Asia Cup game against arch-rivals Pakistan but having learnt to value his wicket he managed to deliver a match-winning 183-run knock, according to a report in The Indian Express.
"It would be wrong if I say there was no pressure. I didn't play well against Pakistan the last 2-3 times. I was disappointed, so wanted to do well. It is always a high pressure game against Pakistan and all eyes are on this match," Kohli said after India chased down a mammoth 330 on Sunday to keep alive their hopes of reaching the final.
Meanwhile a report in The Times Of India states that it wasn't too long ago when Nasir Jamshed's international career was in the doldrums. He was accused of spot-fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League and had the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) taken a strong stance, it wouldn't have been possible for the left-hander to be in the Asia Cup squad, says the report.
“The PCB, though, went soft on Jamshed, and the 22-year-old is now a national hero in Pakistan after he scored a career-best 112 off 104 balls and put up 224 for the first wicket with Mohammad Hafeez against India on Sunday. Jamshed has serious criminal records and was arrested earlier for being accused of cheating in a school exam. He was one of three students who allegedly allowed a fourth to write answers for them in an English exam to graduate from secondary school. The Lahore police had claimed then that Jamshed was caught "red-handed”,” says the TOI report.
But for now, all that is well and truly forgotten. Jamshed played well in the first game against Bangladesh scoring 54 and now the 112 against India will help him start afresh.
