Asia Cup 2023: Why Mohammed Siraj's sensational spell against Sri Lanka will go into annals of cricket history

Colombo, Sep 17: Mohammed Siraj wove a sublime spell of seam and swing bowling to walk away with impressive figures of 6 for 21 in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Siraj - who looked like a man possessed with the ball - helped the Indian cricket team reclaim the Asia Cup title after a gap of five years. Rare are the days when a bowler wreaks havoc upon the opposition's batting attack and Siraj equalled Sri Lankan great Chaminda Vaas to a unique ODI record.

Team India defeated Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in a lop-sided encounter, all thanks to Siraj's fiery spell, which even included an over of four wickets. This win even marked India's eighth Asia Cup title and also their biggest victory in ODIs in terms of balls remaining.

Defending champions (T20 format) Sri Lanka were bundled out for 50 inside 16 overs after electing to bat first against Rohit Sharma-led side. Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan then fearlessly sped up the chase to wrap up the match in just 6.1 overs for India.

Colombo caught in the tempest named Siraj

This victory marks the first multi-nation event title for India since their triumph in the 2018 Asia Cup. The match at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo etched itself into history due to Siraj's extraordinary bowling performance.

The right-arm pacer from Hyderabad descended upon the game like a storm - ensuring Sri Lanka could hold out for only just 15.2 overs, recording their lowest ODI total against India.

He shattered ODI records carving out a place in cricket history - the fourth bowler to clinch four wickets in one over and matched Vaas for the fastest five-wicket haul in the 50-over format.

Siraj's strategic brilliance held no bounds as he dominated the field - precision combined with formidable power, the beauty of his bowling was beyond statistics. In his third over of the match, Siraj dismantled Sri Lankan batting lineup by grabbing four wickets.

Among his victims were Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samaraiwickrama, Charith Asalanka, and Dhananjaya de Silva who fell prey to Siraj's demon deliveries in that over as half of the Sri Lankan side were back in the dressing room inside four overs.

"Jitna naseeb mein hota hai wahi milta, aaj mera naseeb tha (You get what's in our destiny, today it was my destiny)," an elated Siraj summed up the mood while talking to broadcasters in the mid-innings break. He was named the player of the match for his phenomenal bowling.

After Siraj finished his spell, the Lankan innings crumbled. Hardik Pandya picked the remnants with a three-wicket haul, completing a comprehensive Indian victory. The magic, the mayhem, the mastery. This day will forever be etched in the annals of cricket for Siraj's lethal bowling and India's magnificent victory.

Such was the tenacity of his spell that even the best of batters - who have scored truckloads of runs in this format - would have had no answer to Siraj's craft at Colombo. The Virat Kohlis, the Joe Roots, the Kane Williamsons, and the Babar Azams of the game would have looked like mere dwarfs in front of a titan of the day, who was Siraj.

Even Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka doffed his hat to the Indian seamer for his outstanding spell of fast bowling. "It was an outstanding display of bowling from Siraj, credit to him how he approached the game," Shanaka - who was dismissed for a duck by the right-arm quick - said during the post-match presentation.