Pathum Nissanka carved out a slice of history with his maiden T20 international hundred, becoming the first Sri Lankan to score a century against India in the format. The opener emulated Virat Kohli and Hong Kong’s Babar Hayat as only the third batter to register a hundred in the T20 edition of the Asia Cup.
He brought up the milestone in style, dispatching Arshdeep Singh’s missed yorker with a clean strike straight down the ground to seal the moment. The right-hander stepped across his stumps, met the ball with perfect timing and sent it soaring over the bowler’s head before whipping off his helmet to soak in the applause. It was a celebration of class and composure, the kind of innings that stamped his authority on the contest, though the Sri Lankan opener knew full well that the task of finishing the chase still lay ahead.
Nissanka’s unbeaten 101 in Dubai followed Hayat’s 122 against Oman in 2016 and Kohli’s 122* against Afghanistan in 2022. Remarkably, all three centuries in the tournament’s T20 history have come in dead rubbers, after the teams involved had already been eliminated. His effort, though, was a statement of intent as he carved up the Indian attack to give Sri Lanka hope of a consolation victory.
The knock also placed him among a select group of Sri Lankans with T20I hundreds. Before him, only Mahela Jayawardene (100 vs Zimbabwe, 2010), Tillakaratne Dilshan (104* vs Australia, 2011), and Kusal Perera (101 vs New Zealand, 2025) had reached three figures in the format. Nissanka’s fluent innings, built on crisp strokeplay and composure, underlined Sri Lanka’s rich batting pedigree and ensured his name now sits comfortably alongside some of the country’s finest.
With Perera also raising a brisk half-century, the pair powered a second-wicket stand worth over 100 as the defending champions mounted a spirited chase of 203. At the halfway stage, Sri Lanka looked favourites to close out the game after both batters raised rapid fifties to seize the momentum.
India had earlier become the first team to cross 200 in this year’s competition after Charith Asalanka opted to field. Abhishek Sharma’s sparkling 31-ball 61 set the tone, while Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 49 provided the finishing flourish as India posted 202. With a place in the final already secured, India were chasing a sixth successive win, while Sri Lanka were desperate to avoid signing off with a third straight defeat.
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