ODI World Cup 2023: India vs Sri Lanka, 33rd ODI - Who Said What?

Courtesy of an impeccable performance from both batting and bowling unit, India managed to beat Sri Lanka by 302 runs in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Batting first, the Men in Blue lost the wicket of Rohit Sharma cheaply but Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli rose to the occasion and played some incredible cricket to set the tone of the match. Both of them missed their respective centuries as Shubman Gill managed to score 92 runs while Kohli scored 88 runs. Towards the fag end, Shreyas Iyer showed his class as he hit 82 runs in just 56 deliveries.

When it came to the chase, the Indian pacers once again rattled Sri Lanka’s batting unit as the Lankan Lions got bundled out for just 55 runs. Mohammed Shami once again picked up a five-for while Mohammed Siraj picked up three wickets. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja picked up one wicket each as India registered a mammoth win to cement their place in the semi-finals of the ongoing ODI World Cup.

India’s batting unit fires again

The form of Shubman Gill was a major point of discussion ahead of the match but the opener played some incredible cricket to get his mojo back. Virat Kohli supported him well while Shreyas Iyer took care of the business towards the fag end. Courtesy of their impactful knocks, India posted 357 runs on board in the first innings, which eventually proved to be much more than enough.

Mohammed Siraj rips through the top-order

Just like Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj’s spot in the playing XI was under threat, especially with Hardik Pandya expected to return soon. However, Siraj absolutely rattled the top order of the Lankan batting unit to give India a perfect start.

Never count out Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami wasn’t part of the playing XI in the first few matches but ever since he made his return, the pacer has been unplayable. He picked up another five-for and in total, he has 14 wickets to his name in just three matches, which is simply phenomenal.

Losing skipper Kusal Mendis said:

I am very disappointed with the team's performance, with myself also. They bowled really well, little bit of seam movement under lights as well. Unfortunately, we lost the match. I wanted to bowl first because I felt the wicket would be slow in the first half. Madushanka bowled really well and we missed taking chances from Virat and Gill and sometimes those moments could change the game. Our bowlers did well in the middle overs. They bowled really well in the first 6 overs, and I think they deserve all the credit tonight. We have another 2 games and I hope we come back strong in the next game.

Winning skipper Rohit Sharma said:

Very happy knowing that we have officially qualified now. Been a good effort from the squad, when we started off in Chennai. This was our goal, to qualify first and then obviously to be in the semis and the finals. The way we approached these 7 games, it was quite clinical. Everyone put in the effort and a lot of individuals have put their hand up. Was a good challenge to put runs on the board, and that's the kind of template you gotta have when you want to score that many runs. 350 on any pitch is a very good score and a lot of credit to the batting unit for taking us to that score and the bowlers did the job obviously. Shreyas is a very strong (in his mind) lad and today, as you saw, he went there and did what he is exactly known for and that is what we expect from him. Showed that he is ready to take the challenge that is in front of him and Siraj is another quality bowler for us and if he does that (making the new ball talk) things look different for us. He (Siraj) has got a lot of skills when he is operating with the new ball. Even Surya, for that matter, got us some crucial runs in the back end of the last game. To put in a performance back-to-back against England and now today, shows the quality of the seamers and if there is something in the conditions, they are quite lethal. All in all, it was pleasing to watch (bowlers dominating proceedings) and I hope they continue to do it that way. I have left it to the bowler and the keeper (whether or not to take a review) to make that decision for me, and I gotta find the individuals I can trust and I know it can go the other way as well. We got one right and one wrong today. They (South Africa) are playing some good cricket, and so are we. It's gonna be a great spectacle for the people out there and People of Kolkata are gonna enjoy that game.

POTM Mohammed Shami said:

Our bowling is in good shape and with the kind of rhythm (talking about the form of the pacers) that we are in, everyone is enjoying and everyone is happy for each other's success and more importantly, we are bowling as a unit and that's the result you are getting to see. I always try to bowl in good areas and be in good rhythm. In big tournaments, once the rhythm goes away, it's very tough to get it back. I always focus on hitting the good areas and length. Very happy (on becoming India's leading wicket-taker in World Cups) It's very important to be in rhythm in white ball cricket and hit the good areas. If you hit the good areas with the new ball you will get assistance off the pitch and for me length matters a lot. The kind of support we get from the crowd, I want to thank each and every one of them. We also get a lot of support whenever we travel outside India as well. The dressing room is in a very good space.