Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka gestures as he celebrates his century during the Asia Cup cricket match against India in Dubai on September 26, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP
Jayasuriya Dismisses ‘Mental Block’ Talk After Sri Lanka’s Super Over Loss to India
Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya has dismissed suggestions that his side carries a “mental block” against India after their heartbreaking defeat in a Super Over during the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4s in Dubai on Friday.
Chasing 203, Sri Lanka matched India’s 202 thanks to a dazzling hundred from opener Pathum Nissanka (107) and a counter-attacking 58 off 32 balls from Kusal Perera. Their 127-run partnership kept India on their toes before the game went down to the wire. However, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh held his nerve in the Super Over, sealing yet another tense win for India.
Speaking after the match, Jayasuriya said he was proud of his team’s fight and emphasized that there was no mental barrier when facing India.
“I would’ve preferred to finish the game in normal time. No captain or coach wants a Super Over. Unfortunately, Dasun (Shanaka) missed completing the third run, but there’s no mental block against India,” he said.
“Our batting line-up is strong, and we almost chased down 200-plus, which proves the quality we have.”
Sri Lanka’s Missed Opportunities
The defeat mirrored a similar scenario in 2024 at Pallekele, where Sri Lanka also failed to close out a chase and fell short in the Super Over against India. Jayasuriya, however, chose to highlight positives, praising Nissanka and Perera for their fearless batting.
“When you’re chasing over 200, you need constant boundaries. Their partnership gave us momentum, but losing wickets at crucial times hurt. Pathum got out at the wrong time, and later the ball started to grip. Still, it was an excellent effort,” he added.
He also revealed that Nissanka, despite carrying a hamstring niggle, showed great commitment to score a century for the team.
Adaptation Still a Weak Link
The Sri Lanka coach admitted one of the major reasons behind their Super 4s exit was the team’s failure to quickly read conditions.
“In T20 cricket, assessing conditions is everything. Against Bangladesh, 168 was defendable, but we didn’t bowl well. Versus Pakistan, we were slow to adapt in Abu Dhabi. Today, India batted superbly, but we showed we could push them close. Apart from the Bangladesh match, I’m fairly satisfied with our effort,” Jayasuriya noted.
Despite finishing the Super 4s without a win, Jayasuriya backed his team to bounce back strongly.
“This squad has the batting and bowling depth. The key is execution according to conditions and opposition. If we do that consistently, we can go very far,” he concluded.
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