CWC23: India blow Sri Lanka away by 302 runs, storm into semifinals
By: Aditya Ahuja
After a powerful batting display, Indian bowlers wreaked havoc in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium to blow Sri Lanka away by 302 runs.
With this thumping win, India became the first team to secure a spot in the 2023 World Cup semi-finals with 14 points.
This win also marks India’s biggest win in ODI World Cup history.
India Posts a Massive Total of 357 Runs
India had a turbulent start as Captain Rohit Sharma was dismissed by Dushmantha Chameera on just the second ball of the innings, managing to score only 4 runs. Following this, Virat Kohli forged a dominating partnership of 189 runs with Shubman Gill for the second wicket, which was eventually broken by Madushanka. Gill was caught by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis after scoring 92 runs. Kohli contributed 88 runs from 94 balls.
After their dismissals, Shreyas Iyer added 82 runs to the total, and KL Rahul chipped in with 21 runs.
In the final overs, Ravindra Jadeja played a decent cameo, scoring 35 runs off 24 balls before being dismissed on the last ball. Madushanka took five wickets for Sri Lanka, while Chameera claimed one.
Sri Lanka Dismissed for 55 Runs
Chasing a daunting target of 358 runs, Sri Lanka faced early setbacks as speedster Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Pathum Nissanka in the very first over. In the subsequent over, Mohammed Siraj removed Dimuth Karunaratne and Sadeera Samarawickrama. Captain Mendis was also dismissed after scoring just one run.
After losing three wickets with only three runs on the board, Angelo Mathews and Charith Asalanka attempted to resurrect Sri Lanka’s chances. However, when Shami entered the attack, he once again triggered a batting collapse, bagging his second five-wicket haul in the tournament. Jadeja dismissed Madushanka to bring Sri Lanka’s innings to a close.
With this defeat, Sri Lanka’s hopes of advancing to the semifinals were dashed, while India reclaimed the top spot in the points table with 14 points.
Final Scores: India-357/8 (50.0) | Sri Lanka-55 all-out (19.4)
