India and the Asia Cup championship, an Asian giant  

India and Asia Cup

The Asia Cup final in Colombo proved to be exactly that, as the continental tournament drew to a close. 

And typical of the wet weather that delayed the championship, there was a good amount of rain after India won the title in emphatic style with a 10-wicket win in just 6.1 overs. 

The aggressive Mohammed Siraj's six wickets for 21 runs, including four wickets in one over, bowled out hosts Sri Lanka for just 50 runs. 

India's eighth Asia Cup win since the tournament's inception in 1984 should inspire optimism for Rohit Sharma's men. 

The coming weeks are all about preparations for the ICC World Cup. 

The ODI against Australia could be another preparation phase, but the main one is the World Cup in India during October and November.

  Upon landing in Sri Lanka ahead of the Asia Cup, the Men in Blue didn't exactly look like a well-prepared team. 

With some stars returning from injuries, the final eleven was still a work in progress;  But on Sunday night R.  After the dust has settled and the rain has cleared at the Premadasa Stadium, India seem to be on the rise. 

This campaign also included a defeat to Bangladesh but overall India remained dominant.

Even the defeat against the eastern neighbour happened because key players were rested while testing the bench strength. 

The bigger story is about letting down arch-rivals Pakistan and spinner Dunith Velazquez maintaining composure in a low-scoring encounter against Sri Lanka despite tough questions. 

Even though the climax proved lopsided, India's way was to stay on course and Rohit's men did it effectively.  K.L.  Rahul was back amongst the runs and strongly at that, Jasprit Bumrah was at his best, Kuldeep Yadav offered enough finesse and seniors Rohit and Virat Kohli provided the thrust with the batting. 

Afghanistan and Nepal failed to make the Super Four, while Pakistan tried to cheat, although it still has excellent batsmen and explosive fast bowlers.  Perhaps the Asia Cup organisers would have planned an India-Pakistan final because of the history and commercial importance, but the game does not follow regular norms and this particular summit clash has remained a mirage in this tournament. 

Officials also considered keeping a reserve day for the India-Pakistan Super Four tie in view of rain, a case of exaggeration when other teams were not given such privileges.

  Despite these undercurrents, India performed well by focusing on the game and coming out on top.