Asia Cup final 2023: India crowned champions for record-extending eighth time

Mohammed Siraj conjured a magical spell of seam and swing bowling with magnificent figures of 6 for 21 as India crushed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets to win the Asia Cup final 2023 after a gap of five yearsThis was Indias eighth Asia Cup title and also their biggest victory 263 balls in ODIs in terms of balls remainingSirajs astonishing effort saw defending champions Sri Lanka getting bundled out for 50 India did not bat an eyelid in the chase as Shubman Gill 27 and Ishan Kishan 23 did the job in just 61 oversThis was Indias first title in a multination event after their triumph in the Asia Cup 2018 and in a way it also exorcised the ghost of Indias 54 all out against Lanka in the Coca Cola Champions Trophy at Sharjah in 2000The match at Premadasa forever will be remembered for the way Siraj reduced the Lankan toporder to mere puppets of his sorceryPerhaps he was destined to have a day like this said the HyderabadiJitna naseeb mein hota hai wahi milta aaj mera naseeb tha You get whats in our destiny today it was my destiny Siraj summed up the mood while talking to broadcasters in the midinnings breakIt all started with Lanka electing to bat first after winning the toss despite heavily overcast conditionsAlso ReadSri Lanka bowled out for 50 post lowest total in tournament historyThe match started 40 minutes after the scheduled 3 PM beginning but a storm of a different kind was awaiting Sri Lanka a peak SirajHis spell ensured that Lanka batted just 152 overs and this was also their lowest ODI total against IndiaThe pacer became only the fourth bowler in ODI history to take four wickets in an over and he matched former Lankan pacer Chaminda Vaas as the fastest to a fivewicket haul in onedayers in just 16 deliveriesSiraj also obliterated the best ODI figures against Sri Lanka previously held by Pakistan pace legend Waqar Younis 6 for 26 at Sharjah in 1990However the beauty of Sirajs bowling was beyond mere numbersHe got into action after Jasprit Bumrah jettisoned Kusal Perera in the third ball of the first over a regulation caught behindIn conditions that resembled more London than Colombo Siraj just had to pitch the ball in the right areasSiraj made his dance of destruction in the 4th over 31 33 34 and 36 ballsThe victims were Pathum Nissanka Sadeera Samaraiwickrama Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya De SilvaNissanka tried to place the ball around Ravindra Jadeja at point but the placement went awry as the fielder completed a fine tumbling catchSamarawickrama could not deal with a delivery that came in that little bit after pitching on a length and the umpire did not have to think even for a moment to uphold Sirajs appeal for legbeforeIn the very next ball the lefthanded Asalanka pushed at a fuller delivery from Siraj with zero footwork and the uppish shot ended in the hands of Ishan Kishan at coversDe Silva managed to avert the hattrick but he lasted only for another ball a push away from body resulted in an easy collection for Rahul behind the stumpsBut Siraj was not done yet He castled Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka and Kusal Mendis with peaches to complete their destructionShanaka could not even cover a beautiful outswinger a delivery that he used to optimum effect on this day that uprooted his offstumpAt 33 for 6 someone needed to try and break the shackles and Mendis tried to do it But this time Siraj nipped one back in to beat the Lankan batters booming drive and rearranged his timberIt was a magnificent effort by a fast bowler on top of his trade complete mayhem but yet so beautifully dipped in the art of quick bowlingHe did not use his deadly wobble seam delivery even once in his unbroken sevenover spell but destroyed Lanka with a combination of outswingers and the occasional indipperOnce Siraj finished his spell there was nothing left in the Lankan inningsHardik Pandya picked up the remaining crumbs of Lankan innings with a threewicket haul 33Sri Lanka needed someone to bowl a Sirajesque spell but they did not have anyone as India completed a comprehensive victory in just 116 minutesWith agency inputs