India suffered a massive six-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka, something that has dealt a body blow to their qualification hopes for the Asia Cup 2022 final. The Men in Blue, needing to win this match to stay in contention, started off pretty poorly with both bat and ball and were unable to seize the crucial moments in the game, leading to a second consecutive defeat in this Super 4 round after losing to Pakistan two days ago. The defending champions are virtually knocked out of the tournament as they are left needing other results to go their way in order to finish in the final two.  Rohit Sharma Hits Record-Equalling 32nd T20I Fifty, Achieves Feat During IND vs SL Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 Match

Skipper Rohit Sharma lost the toss once again and was made to bat first for a second consecutive time. The decision was a no-brainer with chasing teams, especially Sri Lanka, having achieved considerable success in this tournament. But the legion of Indian fans would not have expected a nightmarish start when the Men in Blue lost the big scalps of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli very early in the innings. That was a massive setback and it needed skipper Rohit play a captain's knock and he did not disappoint. The right-hander blasted his way to a 41-ball 71 to shift momentum to India's side but things once again started going downhill after his dismissal. There was hardly resistance from the middle-order and had it not been a 7-ball 15 from Ravi Ashwin, India could not have got past 170. Young bowler Dilshan Madhushanka was the best for Sri Lanka, having figures of 3/24, his scalps including Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Deepak Hooda. India Out of Asia Cup 2022? Here's What Happens if Rohit Sharma and Co. Lose to Sri Lanka in Super 4 Cricket Match

Chasing 174 to win, Sri Lanka began on a pretty positive note. They took time in the initial overs and then dominated the Indian bowling , milking them to all parts of the ground to score 97/0 in 1` overs. India did show some fight when spinners Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal brought them back into the contest and for a while, Sri Lanka looked to be nervous. But skipper Dasun Shanaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa's 64-run undefeated stand sealed the win for Sri Lanka with one ball remaining.

IND vs SL Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 Stat Highlights: 

#Rohit Sharma is now India's leading run-scorer in Asia Cup with 972 runs.

#He is also the first batter to score 1000 runs in the men's Asia Cup.

#The Indian captain also has hit the most sixes by a player in the tournament (27).

#He also hit his 32nd T20I fifty, the most by a batter alongside Virat Kohli.

#Sri Lanka's 97/0 is their highest-ever opening stand against India in T20Is.

India now need Afghanistan to beat Pakistan and hope to defeat them by a big margin, to harbour any hopes of moving to the final of Asia Cup 2022. It looks extremely bleak at the moment. Sri Lanka on the other hand, have almost confirmed their spot in the last two.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2022 12:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).