After five years, the trophy drought has finally ended. And to make it even more befitting, India took only 21.3 overs to accomplish the task, walloping Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final at the Premadasa in Colombo on Sunday en route to their eighth Asia Cup crown.
One expected the decider to be a hard-fought, intriguing contest as Sri Lanka had shown character in reaching the final and had given India some scare as well in the Super 4s-stage encounter. The tournament co-hosts won a good toss and opted to bat before rain delayed the start by around 40 minutes.
The ball swung and moved just a little bit owing to the overhead conditions, and Jasprit Bumrah struck in just the third ball of the game, inducing a nick from Kusal Perera. But what followed thereafter was mayhem.
Mohammed Siraj (6/21 in 7 overs), relentless in bowling the off-stump line and getting some movement, simply ran through the clueless Sri Lankan line-up as the hosts were blown away for 50. Yes, just 50, with their innings lasting only 15.2 overs.
It was all about a few overs of batting practice then for India as Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan, promoted to open the innings, took only six overs and a ball to reach the 51-run target.
For sure this was one tonic Team India needed going into the ODI World Cup at home beginning on October 5. Also, Siraj’s evolution is something that augurs well for India. The team management, banking on Siraj’s consistency of late, preferred him over a much more experienced Mohammed Shami to be Bumrah’s new-ball partner, and the Hyderabad pacer ensured he vindicated the side’s faith in him.
Siraj began with a maiden, which was the second over of the game. Thereafter, all he had was fun, sheer fun for maintaining the correct line right through his spell.
Making good use of the crease, Siraj kept pitching it on or just outside the off-stump, getting the ball to move away.
Not once, not twice, but four times Siraj struck in his second over which left Sri Lanka tottering at 12/5 after four overs. Pathum Nissanka, the other opener, played a poor shot at point. The otherwise promising Sadeera Samarawickrama played across the line to a delivery angling in the leg-side and was trapped lbw.
Charith Asalanka then gave catching practice to Ishan Kishan at extra cover before an experienced Dhananjaya de Silva needlessly played one away-going delivery he could easily have left. Siraj, though, had done more than what his team had expected of him.
He wasn’t done yet as in his third over, he bowled a pitched-up delivery moving just a little bit away to castle Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka, who seemed to be having no clue about what to do after coming out to bat as early as in the fifth over. Getting his maiden ODI five-for in style, another well-directed delivery earned Siraj his sixth as Kusal Mendis was cleaned up going nowhere near the line of the ball.
An unforgettable game for Siraj and India, not so for the Lankans.
