In the Asia Cup 2023 final, India asserted their dominance over Sri Lanka by limiting the home team to a paltry 50 runs before swiftly completing a successful chase to clinch their eighth Asia Cup title.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first, but India’s Mohammad Siraj wreaked havoc, taking six wickets, four of which came in a single over while conceding only 21 runs.
The match had a 40-minute delay due to rain, and the collapse began with Jasprit Bumrah dismissing Kusal Perera in the opening over.
After the initial wicket, Mohammad Siraj took center stage, achieving his five-wicket haul in just three overs.
Aside from Siraj’s impressive performance, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah also made significant contributions with three and one wickets, respectively, resulting in India bowling out Sri Lanka for just 50 runs in 15.2 overs.
Only two Sri Lankan batsmen managed to reach double figures, with Dushan Hemantha scoring an unbeaten 13 and Kusal Mendis adding another 17 runs.
This is the lowest total in the history of Asia Cup one-day internationals (ODIs), surpassing the previous record held by Bangladesh, who scored 87 runs against Pakistan in 2000.
In response, India easily reached the 51-run target, completing the chase in 6.1 overs with all ten wickets intact.
India’s openers, Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill, contributed 23 and 27 runs, respectively.
This victory marks India’s seventh Asia Cup ODI title and eighth overall.
Mohammad Siraj earned the Man of the Match award for his exceptional match-winning performance, securing six wickets, including those of Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarwickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananajaya de Silva, and Dasun Shanaka.
Top Performers
Meanwhile, India’s Kuldeep Yadav was awarded the Player of the Tournament for his outstanding performance. The left-arm wrist spinner secured nine wickets, including a crucial five-wicket haul against Pakistan and a four-wicket performance against Sri Lanka during the Super 4 stage.
Shubman Gill emerged as the tournament’s top scorer with 302 runs, followed by Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis, who scored 270 runs throughout the competition.
Pakistan’s Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan secured the fourth and fifth positions for their contributions of 207 and 195 runs, respectively.
On the bowling front, Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana finished as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with 11 wickets, followed by India’s Mohammad Siraj with 10 wickets. Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi claimed the fourth spot among the bowlers, securing 10 wickets in the tournament.
