Men in Blue exhibited a dominant play to crush Sri Lanka in the summit clash of the 2023 Asia Cup tournament. India won their record-extending eighth Asia Cup victory by chasing down the 51-run mark in just 6.1 overs. It was one of India’s most dominant ODI performances, as they absolutely stamped their authority over Sri Lanka. With his six-wicket haul, Mohammed Siraj delivered a stint to remember. Indian openers Shubman Gill (27) and Ishan Kishan (23) made a mockery of the chase as the hosts looked down and out right from the start.

The Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka’s decision to bat first backfired as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed the in-form Kusal Perera for a duck in the very first over. Siraj bowled a maiden second over to create more pressure on the Lankan batters. Siraj’s next over proved to be a dream over in his ODI career as the right-arm pacer claimed four wickets to put Sri Lanka on the mat.

Ravindra Jadeja took a brilliant catch to send off Pathum Nissanka (2) and initiate the collapse. While Siraj bowled straight down the line to trap Sadeera Samarawickrama (0) LBW, Charith Asalanka played a sloppy shot and walked back for a golden duck. Siraj then bowled to two classy deliveries to clean up Shanaka (0) and Kusal Mendis (17). Then came all-rounder Hardik Pandya to bag the last three wickets and bundle out Sri Lanka for 50, their second-lowest total in ODIs.

Team India will next gear up for the three-match ODI series against Australia, which is scheduled to be played from 22 September to 27 September in India.