Asia Cup 2023: India crush Sri Lanka to clinch title for the 8th time

Asia Cup 2023: Mohammed Siraj wrecked havoc in the Asia Cup 2023 final, which India won over co-hosts Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue won their eighth Asia Cup (ODI) title with a 10-wicket victory, building momentum for the upcoming ODI World Cup in their own backyard. Mohamed Siraj took a six-wicket haul to help India bowl out Sri Lanka for just 50 runs in the final of the Asia Cup on September 17. Siraj finished with figures of 6/21, which is the fourth-best bowling performance by an Indian bowler in ODI history. 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.

Mohammed Siraj is on fire as he has picked up six wickets in the match so far. Siraj has sent Sri Lankan batsman Kusal Mendis back to the pavillion. Before this, Siraj sent Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, and Charith Asalanka back to the pavilion in quick succession.

The Indian bowler also sent Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka back to the pavillion. Commenting on Siraj's feat, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said in a post on X formerly known as Twitter: "UNSTOPPABLE! FIFER completed in under 3 overs! Outstanding bowling display from Mohammed Siraj (sic)". 

Siraj is not yet going anywhere as he will play for one more over. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has managed to send Dunith Wellalage back to the pavillion after the latter tried his best to put a decent score for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka at present is trying to recoup from the back-to-back blows dealt to them by Siraj. Dunith Wellalage and Kusal Mendis have each managed to score a four despite the bowling rampage by Siraj and Bumrah.

Dushan Hemantha has walked in right now and Siraj's ball to Hemantha has resulted in a four and a wide. Sri Lanka's Pramod Madushan has just entered the pitch right now. Hardik Pandya's ball to Madushan has resulted in no runs. At present, Sri Lanka's total score stands at 40/8.

Also Read: 'Take a bow': Netizens hail Mohammad Siraj as he 'destroys' Sri Lanka in Asia Cup final

Colombo weather condition

According to AccuWeather, thunderstorms and rain are likely to occur in Colombo today between 6 pm- 10 pm, due to which the match could be stopped for some time. The temperature in Colombo could hover around 29-30 degrees Celsius along with 49 per cent precipitation, 73 per cent humidity and 100 per cent cloud cover. If the game between India and Sri Lanka gets suspended due to rain later in the day, it will be pushed to a reserve day on Monday.

India vs Sri Lanka playing squad

Sri Lanka’s Playing XI comprise Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha (In for Maheesh Theekshana), Pramod Madushan, and Matheesha Pathirana.

India’s playing XI, on the other hand, comprise Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli (In for Tilak Varma), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (In for Suryakumar Yadav), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar (In for Axar Patel), Jasprit Bumrah (In for Mohammad Shami), Kuldeep Yadav (In for Shardul Thakur), Mohammed Siraj (In for Prasidh Krishna).

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