India's sheer dominance in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 is the talk of the town after they sealed the semi-final berth thrashing Sri Lanka by 302 runs at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
After being asked to bat first, Shubman Gill (92), Virat Kohli (88) and Shreyas Iyer (82) batted brilliantly under hot and humid conditions to guide India to a massive 357/8 in 50 overs.
In reply, Sri Lanka completely surrendered against the Indian pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. The pacers picked nine wickets in the match to bundle out Sri Lanka for 55/10 in 19.4 overs.
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Bumrah struck on the first ball of the innings and shifted the momentum in India's favour. Siraj picked two scalps in his opening over to haunt Sri Lanka with the memories of the Asia Cup 2023 final. The ace pacer Shami put everything at stake for Sri Lanka with his two-wicket maiden in his first over.
The experienced seamer picked three more scalps to return with the figures of 5-18. He also became the highest wicket-taker for India in World Cup history with 45 dismissals.
Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar said Rohit Sharma-led side is becoming 'ruthless' and they should start celebrating the pacers.
“India is becoming a ruthless side. Their onslaught could become impossible to stop. But my wish is that India should start celebrating their fast bowlers. Because today, there was excitement at every single ball in Wankhede,” Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.
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Akhtar further gave special mention to Shami, Siraj and Bumrah for picking 14 wickets in just three matches of the tournament including two five-wicket hauls.
“I was personally happy for Mohammed Shami. His rhythm is back. In three matches, he has got 14 wickets. Siraj is also steaming in. Bumrah is lethal. He is the one who allowed the other two to bowl with freedom. Bumrah is very lethal and his skillet is amazing. I really hope they stay fit till the end,” Akhtar added.
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India are unbeaten in the tournament with seven consecutive wins and secured the top spot in the table with 14 points. In the upcoming two matches, India will take on South Africa and Netherlands on November 5 and 12 respectively.