"A great player wouldn't have played such a shot and left you on someone else's shoulders" - Gautam Gambhir on Dhananjaya de Silva's dismissal

Gautam Gambhir has criticized Dhananjaya de Silva for throwing away his wicket after he and Dunith Wellalage had taken Sri Lanka close to victory in their Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash against India.

The Men in Blue set Dasun Shanaka and Co. a 214-run target at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday, September 12. They then bowled out the Lankan Lions for 172 to register a 41-run win and book their berth in the final to be played on Sunday.

While reviewing the game on Star Sports, Gambhir was asked about his thoughts on De Silva's dismissal being the turning point, to which he responded:

"Apart from it being a turning point, he would be extremely disappointed. You don't expect such a shot from Dhananjaya de Silva, who is an experienced player. This is the difference between a good and a great player. A great player wouldn't have played such a shot and left you on someone else's shoulders."

The cricketer-turned-politician pointed out that a top team like India wouldn't have allowed the opposition to come back into the game had they been in such a position. He stated:

"They (great players) themselves leave after scoring the last run. This is the difference between being a top team and a team trying to become one. India are a top team because they have players who don't give such opportunities."

De Silva and Wellalage strung together a 63-run seventh-wicket partnership after Sri Lanka had been reduced to 99/6. The former then hit a Ravindra Jadeja delivery straight to Shubman Gill at mid-on to give India a look-in, and they seized the opportunity by taking the last three wickets for just 10 runs.

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"You had done the difficult task" - Gautam Gambhir on Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage having already done the repair job

Dunith Wellalage (L) and Dhananjaya de Silva didn't look in much trouble whilst they were at the crease. [P/C: AP]

Gautam Gambhir pointed out that Dhananjaya de Silva had already put in the hard yards alongside Dunith Wellalage. He observed:

"The way Wellalage was batting, if you had scored 20 or 25 more runs from there, India might have been under immense pressure. You had put in the effort. You had done the difficult task."

The former Indian opener highlighted that Rohit Sharma and Co. would have been in a tough situation had the duo added a few more runs. He said:

"If you had converted the 41 runs you scored into 60 or 65 and Wellalage was scoring runs from the other end, it would have become difficult for India."

Wellalage remained unbeaten on a 46-ball 42 as the last three wickets fell from the other end. The youngster earlier registered figures of 5/40 in his 10 overs to dismantle India's famed batting lineup.