Dhaka, Sept 16 (Net) — India chased down a modest target of 51 in a mere 6.1 overs against Sri Lanka, securing their record eighth Asia Cup title in Colombo on Sunday.
Coming into this match, India might not have anticipated such a smooth ride to victory in the final.
Sri Lanka had little to offer with only 50 runs on the board. As India took to the field for their chase, a handful of Sri Lankan fans remained in the gallery at Colombo. They departed, carrying with them the sting of a defeat that may linger for years.
Ishan Kishan contributed a solid 23, while Shubman Gill notched an unbeaten 27, ensuring a compre-hensive 10-wicket victory for India.
In the earlier innings, Mohammad Siraj dismantled the Sri Lankan batting order, claiming six wickets for a mere 12 runs. India swiftly bundled out Sri Lanka for a paltry 50 runs in just 15.2 overs.
Although Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first, fortune did not favor them. The home side lost their first wicket in the opening over, with four more tumbling in the third over.
Siraj’s performance in that critical third over was nothing short of spectacular, as he clinched four wick-ets. Though a hat-trick narrowly eluded him, that one over effectively extinguished India’s competition.
His remarkable figures of six for 12 now stand as the second-best bowling performance for India in ODIs.
For Sri Lanka, a staggering nine batters were dismissed with single-digit scores, with five of them en-during a duck each. It was a day the Sri Lankan team will undoubtedly wish to expunge from their memory.
