Asia Cup finds new cricketing hero in 2023 just like 2018 albeit in moments of heartbreak

Cricket is a great reveler they say and one cannot find many faults in such an argument. Asia Cup has always thrown moments that will be in the infamy of the memory of fans for a long time. The sight of weeping Bangladeshi players after the two-run loss to Pakistan in 2012 comes springs to our memory.

Despite the heartache and massive disappointments, the Asia Cup has given cricket new heroes. There are two players who have earned the respect of the fans and the experts despite being on the losing side. Dunith Wellalage is one such name that stood tall despite the Sri Lankan ship getting threaded on rocky waters.

Dunith Wellalage’s herculean effort ends in despair –

Dasun Shanaka was looking bereft of ideas as India had raced to 80/0 in 11 overs. The Indian openers, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma were smashing every bowler all over the park. That’s when the ball was thrown to a young 20-year-old Dunith Wellalage. The youngster did the trick in his very first ball. Shubman Gill had a look of disbelief when he was beaten in the flight and the off-stump was disturbed. The next two wickets defined the entire Indian innings. Virat Kohli had scored 4 centuries in his last four innings at Colombo. The former India skipper was just coming to the game after scoring a ton.

Wellalage though had the Indian run machine out for three before he could assert his dominance. Next, it was the turn of Rohit Sharma who was dismissed bowled for 53, this was a man who has hit three successive fifties. Rohit had just become the 2^nd fastest batter to reach 10,000 runs in ODI cricket. Wellalage wasn’t done as he got the wickets of KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya to get his 1^st ODI fifer. If India thought the night was over, it wasn’t as Wellalage returned with the bat. Walking in at 99/6 at the fall of Dasun Shanaka, the young left-hander stood up to the Indian bowlers.

Wellalage scored his career-best 42 not out off 46 balls with 3 fours and a six. His partnership of 63 with Dhananjaya De Silva for the 7^th wicket raised hopes. Despite his best efforts, Sri Lanka lost the game by 41 runs as India made it to the Asia Cup final. Wellalage was rightly chosen as the player of the game for his outstanding effort with the bat and ball. The effort of Dunith Wellalage brings to mind the innings played by Litton Das in the 2018 Asia Cup final. Bangladesh played India in the final and were bowled out for a mere 222. Only three batters managed to reach double figures.

Litton Das scored 121 off 117 balls with 12 fours and 2 sixes. Das added 120 for the 1^st wicket with Mehidy Hasan who scored 32 with the bat. The next man to reach double figures was Soumya Sarkar batting at number 7 who hit 33. Litton Das was the 6^th wicket to fall and had scored more than half of his team’s total. The Indian spinners had  run-riot with Kuldeep picking 3, while Kedar Jadhav picking 2 and Chahal getting a wicket. When the game went to the last ball and India won the title, hearts went out for Litton Das. Much like how the fans felt on Tuesday for Dunith Wellalage. The people who saw the game live though can say, that a star was born in Colombo albeit in despair.