In a thrilling showdown at the Asia Cup in Dubai, Sri Lanka’s explosive opener Pathum Nissanka stole the spotlight by smashing past Virat Kohli’s long-standing records. During the Super Fours clash against India, Nissanka fired a stunning 107 off 58 balls while chasing a target of 203, helping his team put up a strong fight.
Right from the start, Nissanka took on India’s speedy bowlers with perfect timing and power-packed shots. He raced to a quick fifty and topped the charts for the most 50-plus scores in T20 Asia Cup history, now with five in 12 innings—edging out Kohli’s four in nine.
But that’s not all. Nissanka also became the all-time leading run-scorer in T20 Asia Cup matches, racking up 434 runs across his 12 games. That nudged Kohli down to second with 429 runs. At 27, Nissanka joined an elite club as the fourth Sri Lankan to hit a century in every international format, alongside stars like Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, and Mahela Jayawardene.
His knock marked just the third century in T20 Asia Cup history, following Babar Hayat’s 122 for Hong Kong and Kohli’s unbeaten 122 for India. In T20 internationals overall, Nissanka ranks as Sri Lanka’s second-highest run-getter with 2,211 runs in 74 matches, boasting an average of 32.04, a strike rate of 126.63, one ton, and 17 fifties—trailing only Kusal Perera.
The excitement peaked in the final over, with Sri Lanka needing 12 runs. Nissanka charged at bowler Harshit Rana and flicked the first ball, but it sailed straight to Varun Chakravarthy, who took a sharp catch. Out for 107, his exit swung the momentum to India. Both teams ended at 205/5 after 20 overs in this dead-rubber thriller, forcing a Super Over. India edged out the win there.
Even in defeat, Nissanka celebrated breaking Kohli’s records, adding extra buzz to the India vs Sri Lanka rivalry. On the bowling side, India’s Kuldeep Yadav shone bright too. The left-arm wrist-spinner dismissed Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka for 5 off 9 balls and finished with 1/31. With 13 wickets in the tournament (one match left), Kuldeep shattered the record for most wickets by a bowler in a single T20 Asia Cup edition, topping Amjad Javed’s nine-year-old mark of 12 from the UAE.
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