In-form opener Abhishek Sharma continued his terrific form with the bat in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match against Sri Lanka on Friday, September 26, in Dubai. The left-hander maintained his reputation as the tournament's most consistent batter, cutting up the Lankan bowlers with his aggressive batting.

Abhishek's most brilliant shot came without long to wait in the innings. Before long, he welcomed offspinner Maheesh Theekshana with an 88-metre six in the second over. Theekshana sent an inviting delivery into the slot just outside leg stump, and the southpaw made a small backward step before launching the ball into the second tier into the mid-wicket boundary for a monster six. Here was yet another sign of his confidence and form.

With this effort, Abhishek has now made over 250 runs in the tournament in only 6 innings, making him the tournament's leading scorer in the Asia Cup 2025. The 25-year-old already has two innings of 74 (39) against Pakistan and 75 (37) against Bangladesh that were key in winning those contests for India in the Super 4 match wins. Not done there, in a match earlier this year against England, Abhishek blasted 135 runs off 54 balls, showing that he is simply one of the most dangerous opening batters in world cricket.

ALSO SEE: "We know what we need to do...." Pakistan captain speaks about their match against India in Asia Cup 2025 Final

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Abhishek has arrived in #INDvSL 😎😌

Watch the southpaw take off 🚀 - LIVE on #SonyLIV & #SonySportsNetwork TV Channels 📺#AsiaCup #DPWORLDASIACUP2025 pic.twitter.com/LiztTfA0N5

— Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) September 26, 2025

Despite India suffering an early blow in the match with Shubman Gill going cheaply for just four runs, the right-handed opener being caught and bowled by Theekshana and showcasing a rather muted performance compared to his partner, at the time of writing, India was well placed, at 59/1 in the first five overs, Abhishek batting on 41 off 19 balls and skipper Suryakumar Yadav on 10 runs. 

India has gone unbeaten in the competition so far this year, under Suryakumar's captaincy, and looks to make it six in a row against Pakistan on September 28 at the same venue, in the final repeat in an attempt to claim a record-extending ninth Asia Cup title against its historical rival.

In contrast to India's impressive showing thus far, Sri Lanka's campaign has come to an unfortunate and disappointing end in their losses against Bangladesh and Pakistan, leading Charith Asalanka's squad to the headline on account of not being competitive any longer in the tournament, with the final being strictly between India and Pakistan.

India suffered an early blow in Match 6 of Super 4 in Asia Cup 2025 against Sri Lanka, as Shubman Gill was dismissed cheaply by Maheesh Theekshana. The wicket fell in the 1.3 over at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Gill, who has been India's consistent performer in this tournament, has only added 4 runs off 3 balls and a boundary before having to make his back to the pavilion.

Theekshana bowled a 96 kmph delivery that drifted in around the fifth stump. Gill attempted a straight drive but could not keep the ball down and Theekshana quickly reacted by diving to his left to take an excellent caught and bowled to give Sri Lanka the first breakthrough. this brilliant piece of fielding put India under early pressure and got Sri Lanka on the front foot in just the opening overs.

However, India have already qualified for the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan on September 28. The team will face their arch-rivals after a strong Super 4 performance. This match against Sri Lanka is now more about momentum and practice for the big final clash.

Match Situation and Gill's Asia Cup 2025 Performance

Gill’s dismissal was significant, as he has scored a total of 115 runs in 6 innings in the Asia Cup 2025 with an average of 23.00 and a strike rate of 155.41. His highest score is only 47 runs. With Gill back in the pavilion early, India’s middle order will have to step up and build partnerships to steady the innings and chase what is likely to be a competitive total.

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🚨 WICKET 🚨

- Shubman Gill dismissed for 4 in 3 ball's
- Stunner from Thikshana #INDvsSL pic.twitter.com/9ivJs9p2aP

— Rana Ahmed (@RanaAhmad056) September 26, 2025

See Also: Asia Cup 2025: Why are Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube not playing IND vs SL Super Fours Match 18

As of writing, India is 45/1 in 14.2 overs with a run rate of 10.38. Abhishek Sharma is on 27 off 15 balls, while Suryakumar Yadav has 10 off 9.

IPL 2022 has reached its middle stages and there are some strong talents on show. 30 odd games in, the young talent on display seems to be carrying the IPL with many of the experienced hands having a tough time out in the middle.

Dewald Brevis

Dewald Brevis came into the tournament with the tag of Baby AB around him. He showed his range in the under-19 World Cup with some wonderful unorthodox shots and is starting nicely at the Mumbai Indians. Getting his chance after a few games on the bench, Dewald Brevis found his rhythm quickly. In five games, he got a start on four and has shown that he can carry his run of form from the Under-19 World Cup to the IPL.

He is using the dimensions of the ground well as expected, and surely has the potential to live up to his title as Baby AB. Additionally, Dewald Brevis has another interesting moment in IPL 2022. He dismissed Virat Kohli on the first ball he bowled to the great and such a moment is surely enough to make a statement in the league.

Tilak Varma

The Mumbai Indians are known to be good at scouting and that is a reason as to why they have two debutants who are making an impression on the tournament. Although the side is still winless, they have positives in the performance of both Tilak Varma and Dewald Brevis.

The 19-year-old batter has displayed immense consistency and responsibility and is turning out to be Mumbai’s best batter in IPL 2022. He already has a couple of fifties and has taken on some of the best bowlers in the league. His performance against Rajasthan is one such game which saw him pick the bowling nicely as he took on the likes of Trent Boult and Ravi Ashwin. Against Chennai Super Kings, Tilak Varma played a responsible hand as he came in with the side three down for very little.

Taking his time, Tilak Varma did well to bat through the innings and also provided some lusty blows to get MI to a reasonable score.

Ayush Badoni

Like Dewald Brevis, Ayush Badoni got off to a bright start in IPL 2022 with some unorthodox shots as a finsher. He started with a fifty when a run-chase was in a tense position. The fifty was full of unorthodox hits and he remained calm throughout. He went on to provide a couple more death-over finishes, and is finding the ropes with ease.

Ayush Badoni hasn’t scored as much in the last few games of IPL 2022 but that is more down to less batting time. He started the season as an exciting talent and with half the tournament to go, he is likely to continue making an impact as a finisher and definitely has a lot of promise moving forward.

See Also: IPL 2022: Match 36, RCB vs SRH Match Prediction – Who will win today’s IPL Match? – Cricket Winner

Maheesh Theeskhana

The Sri Lankan leg-spinner has come in when his side was struggling with the new-ball. Bowling in the powerplay, Theekshana instantly made impact and helped CSK solve two issues which was ruining their campaign. He helped CSK with the new ball and also played the role of an aggressive spinner, which CSK lacked despite the presence of Ali and Jadeja. Four games in, Theekshana has seven wickets and his role against RCB, taking four wickets in the game was crucial in getting CSK up and running in IPL 2022.

Jitesh Sharma

Jitesh Sharma is another player who has been on the sidelines and has had very few chances to show his skills. In the games where he did get a chance to play with some substance, he has been pretty handy. He is getting into the 20s and 30s on a regular basis and with the middle-order struggling, Jitesh Sharma is helping the Punjab Kings heavily with his runs in that stage.  He has also handled pressure fairly well, playing out Jasprit Bumrah and finding runs the next as Punjab were in a tough situation while setting a total against the Mumbai Indians.

There have been a few other talents popping up with Vaibhav Arora, Abhinav Manohar and Mukesh Choudhary among the debutants going well in IPL 2022. With half the season left and teams likely to use their bench more, the upcoming games may see more youngsters come out and show their skills as IPL 2022 rolls on.