India spikker Rohit Sharma was on cloud nine after his team won the Asia Cup 2023 title by crushing Sri Lanka by 10 wickets to add the eighth continental trophy to their cabinet. The hero of India's thumping win was pacer Mohammed Siraj, who wreaked havoc on the defending champions' batting line-up and picked six wickets to claim his best ODI figures.
Rohit lauded his pacers for going out with a clear mindset and was amazed to see the movement that Siraj produced with the ball in his seven-over spell.
Apart from Siraj, all-rounder Hardik Pandya also bagged three scalps while Jasprit Bumrah took one wicket.
"Yeah was a great performance. To come out and play like that in the final shows the mental character. Great start with the ball and clinical finish with the bat. I was standing in the slips, and something we take pride in - our seamers have been working really hard. Very very clear in their mind. It was good to see that. Such a performance we will cherish for a long time. I never thought it's going to do that much. Comes down to the skillset of individuals," Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
The opening batter credited Siraj for his exceptional talent and further seemed happy with the team's overall performance in the tournament ahead of the much-anticipated home ODI World Cup.
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"Siraj has to be given a lot of credit. Rare for seamers to move the ball in the air and off the pitch. He's coming off age. We did everything we could've achieve as a team in this tournament. Look forward to the series that is coming up in India, and then the World Cup. The way Hardik and Ishan batted in that pressure situation against Pakistan, and then KL and Virat getting hundreds. The way Gill has been batting. Guys have stood up at various stages," Rohit added.
India will now host Australia for the three-match ODI series starting from Friday, September 22 before next month's marquee event.