India gave Sri Lanka a perfect reminder of the Asia Cup final to once again bully them, this time in the ongoing World Cup 2023 clash on November 2, Thursday. Rohit Sharma's men first posted a colossal target of 358 and then bulldozed Sri Lanka for a measly 55 at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. This win catapulted India to top of the points table as they recorded their seventh win on the trot in the World Cup 2023. India also became the first team to seal the World Cup 2023's semifinal berth with 14 points in seven undefeated games.
The invincible Team India will next face South Africa at the iconic Eden Gardens on November 5, Sunday. Meanwhile right ahead of the big game, India skipper Rohit while warning the Temba Bavuma-led side said that it's going to be a good game. "South Africa are playing some good cricket, so are we, so it's going to be a good game," Rohit said in the post-match presentation.
However, Rohit, who has been breathing fire with the bat in the World Cup 2023, couldn't score big against Sri Lanka and returned to pavilion on the very second ball of India's batting after cracking a boundary on the first ball. But the star-studded India's batting-line up lived up to the expectation and wreaked havoc on Sri Lankan bowlers. The Indian batters set up a commanding total of 357/8 in 50 overs. This achievement was notable for being the highest World Cup score without any player reaching a century. Key contributions came from Shreyas Iyer with a swift 56-ball 82, while Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill added 88 and 92 respectively. Their collective effort ensured India's fifth instance of surpassing the 350-run mark in World Cup history.
Rohit also expressed his happiness on making it to the semifinal as it was his first goal. He also credited the top-order batters for posting a big total which decided the course of the match.
"I'm very happy knowing we have qualified for the semifinals, this was the first goal. But how we approached the seven games has been quite clinical, and a lot of individuals have put in the efforts, put their hands up and stood up. It was a good challenge for us to bat and put runs on the board. That's the kind of template you want to have when you want to score that many runs. Credit to the batters for getting to that total and then the seamers obviously.
While heaping praise on Shreyas Iyer, Rohit said,"Shreyas is a very strong lad, strong in his mind, and today he did what he is known for - take on the opposition and the bowlers. He's been working very hard on his game and today we saw what he's capable of.
After Indian batters' blitzkrieg, it was their bowlers turns to shine. India's robust bowling performance had Sri Lanka reeling at 3/4, with their top order completely undone by the ferocious pace duo of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah.
Soon Mohammed Shami joined the party with a brilliant fifer to fold Sri Lankan innings to just 55 and helped India win the match by 302 runs. Meanwhile, Bumrah returned with a bowling figure of 8/1, Siraj dazzled with 16/3.
“As for Siraj, he's a quality bowler and if he does that it's quite a big difference for us. So very happy with how the squad as performed, even Surya in the last game. To put in a performance like this back to back, against England and now, shows the quality of the seamers. Obviously when there's something for them in the conditions, they are quite lethal. [KL Rahul DRS reviews?] I have left it to the bowler and the keeper to make those calls, but yeah I have to find individuals I can trust to make those calls, some may go here and there, today was 50-50 but that happens some times,” Rohit concluded.
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