Mohammed Siraj bowled a brilliant six-wicket spell to help India outplay Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final of Asia Cup 2023 at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. India claimed their 8th Asia Cup title. Rohit Sharma led the Indian team to victory after skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to bat. Siraj picked his first five wickets in just 16 balls which is also the joint fastest in ODI cricket history. During the chase, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan comfortably took India home in 7.1 overs.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and decided to bat first. But the decision went all wrong as the Lankans had to wrap up their inning under just 50 runs. Bumrah started with the bowl and picked up Kusal Perera's wicket in the third delivery of the first over. Siraj then came into play and went on a riot. He picked up four wickets in the fourth over and became the first Indian to do so. He also matched the milestone with the former Sri Lanka pacer Chaminda Vaas for the quickest ODI five-for, reaching the feat in just 16 balls.
Hardik Pandya picked up three wickets for three as India wrapped Sri Lanka's batting order for just 50 runs. This is the lowest ODI Cricket total by a team against India in the Cricketing history.
Shubman Gill was the expected one to come into bat but alongside him, it was Ishan Kishan in place of Rohit Sharma. Both the batsman understood the assignment and completed the job in the seventh over. Shubman Gill scored 27 runs in just 19 deliveries and stayed unbeaten till the end alongside Ishan Kishan who scored 23 runs. It was expected and India celebrated their 8th Asia Cup title.
"Yeah was a great performance. To come out and play like that in the final shows the mental character. Great start with the ball and a clinical finish with the bat. I was standing in the slips, and something we take pride in – our seamers have been working really hard. Very very clear in their mind. It was good to see that. Such a performance we will cherish for a long time. I never thought it was going to do that much. Comes down to the skillset of individuals. Siraj has to be given a lot of credit. Rare for seamers to move the ball in the air and off the pitch. He's coming off age. We did everything we could achieve as a team in this tournament. Look forward to the series that is coming up in India, and then the World Cup. The way Hardik and Ishan batted in that pressure situation against Pakistan, and then KL and Virat got hundreds. The way Gill has been batting. Guys have stood up at various stages."
– Indian Captain, Rohit Sharma
"It was an outstanding bowling display from Siraj. I thought it'd be a good pitch for batters, but overcast conditions played a part. Tough day for us at the office. We could've tightened our technique and would've helped batters settle in and free their arms later. Lots of positives. The way Sadeera and Kusal batted against spin, Also the way Asalanka batted. These three will score heavily in good batting conditions in India. We know how to bounce back from tough situations. We came into the final beating good sides. It's a big plus. Players will continue good cricket from the last couple of years. I would like to thank the supporters who came in numbers. Sorry about the fact we disappointed you. Still thanks for the great support. And congrats to the Indian team."
– Sri Lanka Captain, Dasun Shanaka
