Fast bowlers Mohd Shami (five for 18) and Mohd Siraj (3 for 16) destroyed Sri Lanka’s batting as India crushed the Islanders by 302 runs to advance to the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup for the eighth time in a row on Thursday at the Wankhade Stadium in Mumbai.
Shubman Gill (92), Virat Kohli (88), and Shreyas Iyer (82) were earlier openers who failed to convert their innings into century but still helped India amass 357-8. It’s interesting to note that this is the greatest team total in the World Cup without a century for any player.
While chasing a 358-run goal, Sri Lanka lost six wickets at a cost of just 14 runs. Pathanam Nishank was removed by Jasprit Bumrah with the first delivery of the innings. As wickets went quickly one after another, none of the Sri Lankan batters could hold their position at the crease. In 19.4 overs, they were knocked out for 55.But the Islanders managed to score five more than they did in the Asia Cup final, saving them from the humiliation of having the lowest total in ODI cricket;
Before Shami claimed three early wickets to unsettle the Sri Lankan top order, Bumrah became the first bowler from India to take a wicket on the first ball of the innings in a World Cup. Before Mohammed Shami entered the fray, the scoreboard showed 3/4. He claimed two wickets in two deliveries, bringing the total to 14/6.
With 45 wickets in the World Cup, Shami—who was named Man of the Match—surpassed Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath to become India’s top wicket-taker. For the first time in the World Cup, both of the opening bowlers have claimed wickets in ODIs from the first ball that is permissible.
India’s pacers destroyed Sri Lanka in the powerplay after posting their highest score of the tournament thus far. Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah removed all four of the top four, and Mohammed Shami took two wickets in two balls to leave the score at 14/6.
Sadeera Samarawickrama, Pathum Nissanka, and Dimuth Karunaratne all left the game without making a score, with the two openers being dismissed off the first ball they faced. And in an incredible stretch of play, they fell to four behind with just one run to make from skipper Kusal Mendis.
During India’s innings, Gill struck 11 boundaries and two sixes in his run-a-ball effort, Kohli scored a well-balanced 94 balls with 11 boundaries, and Iyer produced a stunning 56 balls with 3 boundaries and 6 sixes.
India’s start was poor as they lost captain and first man Rohit Sharma (4) to a clean wicket by bowler Dishan Madushanka on the second ball of the first over. With five wickets for eighty, the left-arm bowler was Sri Lanka’s top wicket scorer.
Though Gill and Kohli put up 189 runs for the second wicket and Shreyas Iyer shared two half-centuries with KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja for the fourth and sixth wicket, the Islanders were unable to build on this early lead, and soon their weaknesses in bowling and fielding were exposed. Bad fielding and lost catches were adding to Sri Lanka’s problems.
With the last delivery of the over, Kohli arrived and made it obvious what he intended to do by flicking Madhusanka to the boundary. After being bowled out at nine by Madushanka in the fifth over, Kohli proceeded to play carefully but continued to score runs off of weak deliveries, which the
Many bowls were bowled by Sri Lankans. India was 60/1 at the completion of the first Powerplay.
Chameera got his hand to the uppish drive and lost a return catch, giving Kolhi another opportunity to escape. But after initially playing a little hesitantly, the former captain of India found his rhythm and blasted the bowlers at will. He played with good timing, hitting 11 fours in his 94-ball 88 to record his 70th half-century, which was the fourth of the 2023 World Cup. When it seemed like Kohli would get his second World Cup century, he drove Madushanka and was caught at short-cover by Nissanka.
In the process, Kohli reached 1000 runs in a year. He broke the record set by Sachin Tendulkar, who had accomplished the feat seven times in his career, by hitting a thousand runs in a single year for the eighth time in his career. In ODIs, Kohli holds the record for most hundreds by a batter against any team: 10 centuries versus Sri Lanka.
On the other hand, Gill was in a punishing mood as he struck Madushanka for consecutive fours in the fifth over his route to scoring a run-a-ball 92. He hit his fifty off of fifty balls. The opener attempted to ramp a Madushanka off-cutter but nicked ball behind to Mendis, falling eight short of his sixth ODI century. Within three runs, Gill and Kohli were out.
But Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul did not let up, smashing 60 runs for the fourth wicket to push India over the 250-run threshold. While Rahul was out for twenty-one and Suryakumar Yadav could not make the most of another chance, going out for twelve and falling behind Madushanka, Shreyas Iyer scored an incredible fifty, his second fifty of the World Cup, after an undefeated fifty-three against Pakistan in Ahmedabad.
With a well-timed boundary and a massive six off Hemantha clean over his head, Iyer continued to pile up runs. A few overs later, he smacked another six off Rajitha.Theekshana delivered the third six.He hit Theekshana for a four to get his half-century off 36 balls.
He then said that he and Ravindra Jadeja had shared a half-century partnership for their sixth wicket. Iyer cut Madushanka’s wide, slower delivery straight up for additional cover with the tow-end of his bat, giving Madushanka the final laugh. With an innings of 82 off 56 balls, he almost got India to the 350-mark. India managed to achieve a respectable total despite losing a few wickets to run-outs in the last over.
On the other side, Madushanka overtook Adam Zampa to become the World Cup’s leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets so far, finishing with 5-80 from 10 overs.
Short scores:
India scored 357/8 in 50 overs (Madushanka 5-80; Shubman Gill 92, Virat Kohli 88, Shreyas Iyer 82, and Ravindra Jadeja 35).
Sri Lanka: after 19.4 overs, 55 runs are out.(Not out: Maheesh Theekshana, 12, Kasun Rajitha, 14 Mohd Shami (5 for 19), Siraj (3 for 16), and Angelo Mathews (12
