Beaten in the leadup game, India stormed back in the Grand Final to crush Sri Lanka by 81 runs to lift the Asia Cup after 15 years. India thus became the first team to win the Asia Cup for the fifth time.

By Rajesh Kumar

India outclassed Sri Lanka in every department of the game after winning the toss and electing to bat first.  Dinesh Karthik got India off to a steady start with commanding 66 off 84 balls.  However, after an excellent start, losing only one wicket for 100 runs, wickets tumbled in a hurry and they had to settle for 268 for six.

An astonishing spell of fast bowling from Prveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra set up India's one of the most emphatic victories in a Grand Final and the only saving grace for Sri Lanka was an unbeaten 55 from Chamara Kapugedera.  Nehra (4/40) made full use of conditions to reduce Sri Lanka to 51 for five after Praveen and Zaheer had taken the first two wickets.
 
Karthik was justifiably adjudged the Man of the Match for posting his fifty in ODIs - his first in an important competition.
 
Shahid Afridi got the Player of the series award for topping the run-aggregate in the competition - 265 (ave. 88.33) apart from claiming three wickets in three games.  His first such award in three years.  He is the only one to register two hundreds in the competition and his series strike rate of 164.59.  Gautam Gambhir is the only other batsman to have aggregated 200-plus in the competition.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's success % in One Day Internationals after the Asia Cup triumph is 62.66 - Played: 82, Won: 47, Lost 28 and NR 7.  No other Indian captain, with a minimum of 15 games, has enjoyed a success % of 60.00 or more.
 
Apart from brilliant captaincy, Dhoni has batted superbly in the competition, aggregating 173 in four innings at an average of 57.66, maintaining his outstanding record.  During the Asia Cup competition, he became the only one to amass 3000 runs while maintaining an average of 50-plus - 3116 at an average of 58.79.
 
Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga, with 9 wickets at 14.00 runs apiece, has topped the bowling charts.  Three Indians - Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar - jointly share the second place with six wickets each in the competition.
 
Only two bowlers, both from Sri Lanka, have captured five wickets in an innings in the competition - Lasith Malinga (vs. Pakistan) and Farveez Maharoof (vs.India).

Have Your Say: Here and Now