India 357 for 8 (Gill 92, Kohli 88, Shreyas 82, Madushanka 5-80) beat Sri Lanka 55 (Shami 5-18, Siraj 3-16) by 302 runs
India’s fast-bowling trio was so sensational with the new ball that the scores of Sri Lanka’s top five read like a line of binary code: 0,0,1,0,1. When Shami also had Nos. 7 and 8 for ducks with the score on 29, Sri Lanka were in serious danger of folding for the lowest total in ODI cricket ^(https://lotus365.today/goto/https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/lowest-innings-totals-283987). They were eventually dismissed in 19.4 overs as India completed the fourth-biggest win in the format ^(https://lotus365.today/goto/https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/largest-margin-of-victory-by-runs-283902), and Shami’s 5 for 18 made him India’s highest wicket-taker in World Cups ^(https://lotus365.today/goto/https://www.espncricinfo.com/ask/cricket-qna/most-odi-world-cup-wickets-for-india&tournament=allintls ). It was the third time that India had dismissed Sri Lanka for less than 100 in ODIs in 2023, and their second 300-plus run victory against them this year.
The very first ball from Bumrah was a portent for the carnage that was to follow. He went wide of the crease, got a full ball to angle in and then swing away late to thump the back pad. Siraj also struck with his first ball, pinning Dimuth Karunaratne lbw. Four balls later, with a reinforced cordon, Siraj had the in-form Sadeera Samarawickrama caught at third slip.
But it was the dismissal of captain Kusal Mendis that stood out. Coaches often instruct bowlers to hit that bail-trimming length – too short to drive nor short enough to pull or cut. Siraj not only hit that bail-trimming length to beat Mendis’ outside edge, he also broke the bails. At 3 for 4, with just one of those runs off the bat, Sri Lanka’s batting line-up was also broken.
