India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s heartfelt gesture towards Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage has gone viral on social media. Wellalage’s father died of a sudden heart attack on Thursday, September 18, while Sri Lanka was playing their final Group B match against Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan.
Suryakumar Yadav approached Wellalage on the pitch before the last Super Four match of the Asia Cup 2025 and placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
The 35-year-old offered words of encouragement and also embraced him. Suryakumar’s act of empathy has gone viral among the cricket fraternity because of the way true sportsmanship was demonstrated.
Watch the video here
This moment 🫶#SonySportsNetwork #DPWorldAsiaCup2025 #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/RGeDVyD02P
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 26, 2025
In terms of the game’s outcome, India narrowly defeated the Lankans in a nail-biting fight at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The match was settled by a Super Over after both teams scored 202 in their allotted 20 overs. Despite losing, Pathum Nissanka was named Player of the Match for his 58-ball 107-run knock.
Nissanka’s blistering knock comprised seven fours and six sixes. He kept Sri Lanka within touching distance of the asking rate for the bulk of the chase. For the Men in Blue, Arshdeep Singh turned out to be the star. The left-arm pacer, playing in just his second match of the ongoing tournament, bowled wonderfully well in the Super Over to take both of the opposition wickets while conceding only two runs in his set.
The Indian team will now take on Pakistan in the final of the tournament at the same venue on Sunday, September 28. Table-toppers of Group B, Sri Lanka, had a disappointing ending to their campaign. They ended up losing all three of their Super Four matches, finishing rock bottom in the standings. The Lankans’ next assignment will be a three-match ODI series against the Men in Green in an away series.
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