India hammered Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo to claim their record-eighth title in the history of the tournament as Mohammed Siraj dazzled with the ball for the Men in Blue.
Siraj turned out to be the difference in the game as the Hyderabad-born ripped the Sri Lankan batting order to shreds. Siraj was awarded the Player of the Match for his match-winning spell of 6 for 13.
Mohammed Siraj produced a sensational spell as India thrashed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets to win the Asia Cup here on Sunday. Siraj helped India dismiss Sri Lanka for a paltry 50 with a six-wicket haul in the final.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka found themselves in an embarrassing situation losing their first six wickets for 12 runs. Their innings ended in just 15.2 overs. Siraj ended with dream figures of six for 21 in seven overs while Hardik Pandya chipped in with three wickets.
India raced to the 51-run target in 6.1 overs with Shubman Gill (27 not out) and Ishan Kishan (23 not out) in the middle. Talking to presspersons, Siraj said, “Last time, I did the same against Sri Lanka at Trivandrum. Got four wickets early, couldn’t get the five-for. I did not try too much today. I have always looked for swing in white-ball cricket and did not find much in the previous games.”
“But today it was swinging, and I got more wickets with the outswinger. Such was the swing I was getting on this wicket that I tried to entice the batter to go on the front foot and make them drive. If you are not going for wickets, you will be successful on this pitch. It was about sticking to one line and hitting the same area. I’m so happy with my performance and this is a dream come true for me,” he added.
Chasing 51 to win the tournament, the Indian team management decided to send Ishan Kishan to open the innings India alongside Shubman Gill. The opening pair of Ishan and Gill helped India scale the total without losing a single wicket as they knocked the target down in just 6.1 overs. Kuldeep Yadav was adjudged the Player of the Tournament.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 50 all out in 15.2 overs (Kusal Mendis 17; Mohammed Siraj 6/21, Hardik Pandya 3/3). India 51 for no loss in 6.1 overs (Shubman Gill 27 not out, Ishan Kishan 23 not out).
