Sri Lanka (Commonwealth Union) _ India hammered Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, claiming a record-eighth trophy in the tournament’s history as Mohammed Siraj dazzled with the ball. Siraj proved to be the game’s deciding factor, as the Hyderabad-born bowler ripped the Sri Lankan batting order to tears. For his match-winning performance of 6 for 21, the 29-year-old was named Player of the Match.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first in the critical final, Dasun Shanaka’s side aimed to put runs on the board and put pressure on India’s batting unit. However, the island nation was immediately put on the back foot as opener Kusal Perera was bowled for a duck by Jasprit Bumrah.
Siraj then took center stage and demolished Sri Lanka’s whole batting order. Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Shanaka, and Kusal Mendis were all dismissed by him. His incredible stint earned him the fourth-best bowling spell (6/21) for India in ODI history.
With the exception of Kusal Mendis and Dushan Hemantha, Sri Lanka’s batting order collapsed like a house of cards, with none of the other batsmen reaching double figures. Kusal Mendis fought back and scored 17 off 34 balls, including three fours, while Hemantha, who replaced Maheesh Theekshana in the playing XI, stayed unbeaten on 13. The reigning champions were bowled out for 50 runs, becoming the team with the tenth-lowest ODI total in history.
With India needing 51 runs to win the competition, the Indian team management chose Ishan Kishan to open the innings alongside Shubman Gill. The opening pair of Ishan and Gill assisted India in reaching the target without losing a single wicket. India reached the mark in just 6.1 overs. Kuldeep Yadav was named the Tournament’s Player.
After bowling Sri Lanka out for 50 runs, Indian openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill smashed the mark in 6.1 overs to secure the win. Kishan completed the run chase with a single off part-time spinner Charith Asalanka, and the rain-affected tournament’s final was completed in less than two hours.
“It was a great performance,” India captain Rohit Sharma remarked. Coming out and playing like that in the final demonstrates mental fortitude. He commented, “Great start with the ball and clinical finish with the bat.”
India’s hero was pacer Mohammed Siraj, who claimed career-best figures of 6-21, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya got three wickets to bowl out Sri Lanka.
“Very pleased with the effort today,” Siraj added. “I’ve been bowling well for a long time.” He stated he was missing the edges earlier in the competition but regained his flow today.
It is the lowest total in an ODI final, and Sri Lanka’s second lowest total after a 43-run defeat to South Africa in Paarl in 2011. It was also Sri Lanka’s lowest score at home, with the previous low being 98 all out against South Africa in 1993 at the same stadium.
In the first over of the innings, Jasprit Bumrah got opening batsman Kusal Perera caught behind for no score, and then Siraj took over, capturing four wickets in his second over, becoming the first Indian bowler to do so.
Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, and Dhananjaya de Silva all fell in the space of six deliveries as Siraj shattered Sri Lanka’s innings. Siraj then dismissed Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka in his following over to reduce the visitors to 12 for six. He took his sixth wicket by dismissing Kusal Mendis
Sri Lanka had chosen to bowl first on a track that was believed to aid spin bowling, but it was Indian quicks who ran through the Sri Lankan batting in front of a sold-out crowd of 35,000. Sri Lanka and India reached the Asia Cup finals, while Pakistan and Bangladesh were eliminated in the Super Four stage. Afghanistan and Nepal were unable to progress.
