India crush Sri Lanka to win 8th Asia Cup title, Siraj shines with six-wicket haul

Mohammed Siraj's 6/21 led to Sri Lanka being bundled up for only 50 runs (PTI image)

The Indian cricket team on September 17 crushed their Sri Lankan counterparts by 10 wickets in the final of Asia Cup 2023 played in Colombo, thereby winning the coveted tournament title for a record eighth time.

The tone for the dominating victory was set by Mohammed Siraj, the right-arm pacer from Hyderabad, who tore apart the Lankan batting line-up with his six-wicket haul. The home team was bundled up for a paltry score of 50, allowing the visitors to score an easy win in only 7.1 overs.

After winning the toss, Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka had opted to bat first. The decision turned out to be disastrous as his side proved to be no match for the lethal swing which the Indian speedsters exhibited in the initial overs.

The in-form Jasprit Bumrah picked the first wicket, sending back Kusal Parera for a duck.

The game totally tilted into India's favour right in the third over, bowled by Siraj, where he picked up four wickets -- Patthum Nisanka (2), Sadeera Samarawickrama (0), Charith Asalanka (0) and Dhananjay de Silva (2).

Skipper Dasun Shanaka (0) and opener Kusal Mendis (17) were the next to go, being clean bowled by Siraj. The tail was wrapped up by Hardik Pandya, who picked up 3 wickets while only conceding 3 runs.

In response, the Indian openers made a quick work of the 51-run target, with Ishan Kishan scoring 23 runs off 18 balls, and Shubman Gill remaining unbeaten for 27 runs off 19 balls.

This was the biggest win for India in one-day international cricket in terms of the total number of balls left, as 263 deliveries were yet to be bowled. For Sri Lanka, being all out at 50 was their second lowest ODI score.

Also Read | Asia Cup 2023: List of records that tumbled as India decimate Sri Lanka to win eighth title

The player of the match was awarded to Siraj, whereas, the player of the series was awarded to spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who picked up a total of nine wickets in the tournament. This included a five-wicket haul in the game against arch-rival Pakistan.

Chris Silverwood, the Sri Lankan coach, conceded that his team was "below par" in terms of the performance. "To get bowled out the way we did was very disappointing. There is a lot of reflection to be done," he said.

“Today we came up against a very high-class bowling attack. The Indian bowlers held a good line and length, and bowled good pace, but I think we also made our life difficult,” Silverwood added.

The scintillating win is expected to boost the Indian side's morale ahead of the high-stake ODI World Cup, that is set to begin in India next month. The Rohit Sharma-led side won four of the six games played in this Asia Cup. The only match they lost was against Bangladesh, where an experimenting team management had decided to give their top players a game's rest.