A lot of eyebrows would be raised big time with India being virtually knocked out of the Asia Cup 2022 tournament. After a loss to Pakistan on Sunday, India needed to make amends and get back to winning ways, if they hoped to defend their crown. But things went awfully wrong for Rohit Sharma and co, who, despite being dubbed title favourites, are staring at an embarrassing elimination after a painful defeat to Sri Lanka in the Super 4 round. India Out of Asia Cup 2022? Here's What Happens if Rohit Sharma and Co. Lose to Sri Lanka in Super 4 Cricket Match

Indian fans, both at the stadium and those watching the match from behind the screens would know that many things went wrong for India in this game. From their start with both bat and ball to their bowling effort, nothing seemed to work for the Men in Blue. Here are three reasons why India lost to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 round.

1) Persistence with Rishabh Pant instead of a proven finisher in Dinesh Karthik: Yes, one might brush off this statement claiming that India needed a left-hander in their top six and hence, Rishabh Pant was given the nod ahead of Dinesh Karthik. But did it really work out? While India struggled to score quick runs in the end and set up a massive score, a proven finisher like Dinesh Karthik was warming the bench and occasionally carrying out drinks.

2) Not using all bowling options: India played Deepak Hooda instead of Axar Patel, to use him more as an all-rounder than a batter. The right-hander was not able to do much with the bat in hand but skipper Rohit Sharma made a tactical error by not making Hooda bowl. Rohit explained that Sri Lanka had right-handers at the crease and bowling Hooda would not have made sense. But then, with slow bowlers doing well for India, was not it worth a shot? Also. bowling Yuzvendra Chahal instead of Ravi Ashwin in the powerplay wasn't a wise call.

3) Lack of impetus from the middle-order: The Indian middle-order failed to build on the wonderful foundation that Rohit Sharma had laid for the team. India got off to a nightmarish start, losing KL Rahul and Virat Kohli cheaply but Rohit waged a lone battle, taking the fight to Sri Lanka with 72 off 41 balls. But after his dismissal, no Indian batter could pick up from where he had left, which eventually made India fall short by 10-15 more runs on this pitch.

Barring these, the plan of selecting only two specialist pacers and one of them being an all-rounder in a bowling attack for a must-win game was surprising. India did not have any other bowling option to choose from after Avesh Khan was down with illness. Deepak Chahar, who was named a standby player, has finally been called up to the main team where he should have been in the first place.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2022 12:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).