India Seal World Cup Semifinal Berth After Hammering Sri Lanka by 302 Runs, Mohammed Shami Picks Fifer

Rohit Sharma-led Indian team sealed their place in the ODI World Cup 2023 semifinals with a massive win over Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill scored fifties as India recorded a massive total of 357/8 in fifty overs.

In reply, Sri Lanka were never in the game as their chase got underway to a woeful start, they lost four early wickets thanks to Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj’s bowling haul.

Bumrah became the first Indian player to pick up a wicket on the first ball of the innings in World Cups before Shami picked up three early wickets to rattle the Sri Lankan top order. The scoreboard read 3/4, chasing 358 before Mohammed Shami joined the party.

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Shami picked up a five-wicket haul, his second during the World Cup 2023, and his fourth overall, the highest ever by an Indian player in ODI cricket.

The Bengal pacer also surpassed Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath to become India’s leading wicket-taker with 45 scalps in World Cup history.

Sri Lanka avoided the embarrassment of recording the lowest score in ODI cricket, they eventually scored 55 runs, five more than they managed in the Asia Cup final; but were no match for the Indian team.

Earlier, Sri Lankan captain Kusal Mendis had won the toss and he invited India to bat first.

Rohit Sharma began the Indian innings with a four, but he was dismissed on the next ball, Virat Kohli thus joined Shubman Gill with the scoreboard reading 4/1.

India vs Sri Lanka Highlights

Kohli and Gill stitched together a partnership of 193 runs as they put India in cruise control of the match after a shaky start. Gill scored 92 runs while Virat Kohli scored an 88-run inning before both of them fell prey to Dilshan Madushanka.

The Sri Lanka pacer picked up a fifer but got little support from his fellow bowlers as Shreyas Iyer also slammed 82 runs, but missed out on his century too.

Ravindra Jadeja put the finishing touches on India’s total with his 35-run knock as the Men in Blue got to 357/8, although Sri Lanka’s chase was doomed right from the start and they were never in the game after that opening spell from Bumrah and Siraj before Shami cleaned up the rest.