'It felt like a final': Suryakumar Yadav suggests Super Over win against Sri Lanka felt bigger than Sunday's final vs Pakistan

India captain Suryakumar Yadav said the Super Over win against Sri Lanka “felt like a final” even though they still have to play the Asia Cup final against Pakistan on Sunday. India managed to stay unbeaten in the tournament after surviving Pathum Nissanka’s brilliant hundred and some tense moments in the Super Over on Friday in Dubai.

The Super 4 match was technically a dead rubber as India had already qualified for the final and Sri Lanka were out of the tournament. Despite this, the match turned out to be one of the most exciting games of the tournament so far. Both teams scored 202 runs in their respective innings, forcing the first Super Over of this year’s Asia Cup.

In the Super Over, India restricted Sri Lanka to just two runs, with Arshdeep Singh bowling a brilliant spell. Suryakumar Yadav then scored three runs off the first ball of India’s Super Over to seal a dramatic victory ahead of the final against Pakistan.

SKY makes big statement ahead of final against Pakistan

Speaking after the match, Suryakumar said, “It felt like a final. The boys showed a lot of character after the first half in the second innings. Told them to play this like a semi-final. Get everyone close in, have good energy and then let’s see what happens. Good to be on the winning side.”

India and Pakistan have already played two matches in this Asia Cup so far, both of which were comfortably won by the Men in Blue. After their second meeting in the Super 4 stage, SKY said that there is no longer a rivalry between India and Pakistan, considering the stats heavily favour his team. Now, after the match against Sri Lanka, SKY suggested that it felt even bigger than the upcoming final against Pakistan.

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This is the first time in history that India and Pakistan have both qualified for the Asia Cup final. The buildup to the match has already been tense, especially after what happened on the field in their Super 4 clash. India and Pakistan players clashed for the first time in many years, resulting in sanctions from the ICC.

The tension was triggered during their group stage match, when Indian players refused to shake hands with the Pakistanis, and SKY made a political statement related to the Pahalgam terror attack. He even dedicated the victory to the victims of the attack and the Indian armed forces, who launched Operation Sindoor on Pakistani soil.

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Now, all eyes will be on the upcoming final on Sunday, September 28. India will look to maintain their unbeaten streak in the tournament and win another major title, while Pakistan will aim to avenge their back-to-back defeats against the arch-rivals.