Photo via Hindustan Times

India must remember Dambulla thrashing and they will have to bat much better against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup final

India and Sri Lanka are set to clash in the Asia Cup title match this Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. While India cruised into the showcase by defeating Bangladesh, Sri Lanka had to battle back from 33/4 to track down a target of 131 against Pakistan.

The fixture carries memories of the previous tournament decider held two years back in Dambulla, where India set 165/6 after choosing to bat first, only to be overwhelmed by eight wickets with eight balls remaining courtesy of Chamari Athapaththu's 61, Harshitha Samarawickrama's unbeaten 69, and Kavisha Dilhari's brisk 30 not out off 16 deliveries, handing Sri Lanka their first crown.

India arrive with four straightforward victories over Thailand, Hong Kong, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, yet concerns linger over their batting consistency on tricky Dubai surfaces. Individual displays—notably Smriti Mandhana's hundred versus Hong Kong and Shafali Verma's runs against Bangladesh alongside her showing in an opening collapse to 159/9 from 91/1 against Thailand—have masked broader line-up struggles, placing greater burden on captain Harmanpreet Kaur to raise her output.