‘Ab hai world cup ki baari’ – Fans overjoyed as India clinch 8th Asia Cup title, beat Sri Lanka in final by 10 wickets

What a thumping conclusion to India’s dominant run in the Asia Cup 2023! The Men in Blue thrashed the defending champions by 10 wickets at the R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo to clinch their eighth Asia Cup title. India have cemented their position as the most successful Asian team and are aiming to conquer the world when the premier 50-over tournament begins in Ahmedabad on October 5.

The outcome of the final was scripted after Mohammad Siraj’s devastating spell that single-handedly destroyed the Sri Lankan batting unit. The ‘Miyan Magic’ dashed the six-time Asian champions’ hopes of retaining their title. Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka got off to a disastrous start when Jasprit Bumrah dismissed opener Kusal Perera for a duck on the third ball. Siraj, who bowled the second over, started his spell with a maiden over and stunned the Premadasa crowd by claiming four wickets in the very next over.

The right-arm pacer reduced Sri Lanka to 12 for 5 in four overs. But he didn’t stop there. The very next over, he removed the opposition captain to register a five-wicket haul within 15 balls. Siraj completed his dream spell with figures of 6/21 – the fourth-best by an Indian bowler in ODI history. Hardik Pandya also joined the party to bowl out Sri Lanka for a paltry total of 50 – their lowest-ever score in ODIs against India.

A walk in the park for the Indian openers

In reply, India sent Ishan Kishan in place of Rohit Sharma to open the innings alongside Shubman Gill. It was a cakewalk for the two young openers as they chased down the target with 263 balls to spare, their biggest win in terms of balls remaining and the biggest overall win in an ODI final (balls remaining).

Siraj, who won the Player of the Match, presented the cash prize to the groundsmen for their hard work throughout the tournament. “Have been bowling well since a long time. Was missing the edges earlier. But found them today. The wicket was seaming earlier, but there was swing today. Thought that I will bowl fuller because of the swing. When there’s good bonding between fast bowlers, it’s helpful for the team,” Siraj said at the post-match presentation.

Here’s how fans reacted to India thrashing Sri Lanka in the 2023 Asia Cup final: 

https://twitter.com/vipintiwari952/status/1703391160855851279

https://twitter.com/WasiyullahB/status/1703387468098363772

https://twitter.com/Arsalan894/status/1703387490210766945

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