India won the Asia Cup 2023 title after defeating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets with 263 balls remaining under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Mohammed Siraj of India bowled a remarkable 7-over stint in which he claimed 6 wickets and made bowling history by taking 4 wickets in one over. The bottom order of Sri Lankan batsmen didn’t have to go very far since Hardik Pandya made sure of it, and the squad returned to the pavilion with a score of 50 runs.
For Ishan Kishan (23) and Shubman Gill (27), it was simple. Young Ishan Kishan was dispatched in his stead after Rohit Sharma made the decision to forego the light of the simple triumph. The tournament’s leading scorer, Shubman Gill, is already in the lead.
India vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2023 Final: Winners
1. Catch of the Match–
With a $3,000 reward, Indian spinner Ravindra Jadeja received the Catch of the Match honour.
2. Player of the Match– Mohammed Siraj unquestionably deserved the $5,000 prize for Player of the Match. Mohammed Siraj made the moving decision to donate his $1,000 award to the Colombo grounds crew, who performed fantastic job during the tournament’s interruption due to rain.
“No biryani here. Have been bowling well for a long time. Was missing the edges earlier. But found them today. The wicket was seaming earlier, but there was swing today. Thought that I would bowl fuller because of the swing. When there’s good bonding between fast bowlers, it’s helpful for the team. I was thinking it would be great if I could stop the boundary. My best spell. This cash prize goes to the groundsmen. This tournament wouldn’t have been possible without them,” Mohammed Siraj mentioned.
3. Player of the tournament- The outstanding spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed 9 wickets throughout the competition, was named player of the year. “For the last one and a half years, been working on my rhythm. Being more aggressive through the crease. Loving my bowling. In T20s also the length matters a lot. It’s about not thinking about wickets, just about the lengths. Have worked hard on that. Credit goes to Rohit bhai. He encouraged me to work on my speed. When fast bowlers give you a couple of wickets in powerplay, it becomes easy for spinners,” spinner Kuldeep Yadav added.
4. Best grounds staff- The ground staff’s dedication made sure that all of the matches were played out successfully during the rain-interrupted event, and they were honoured with a $50,000 prize as a result.
5. Runners-up– “It was an outstanding bowling display from Siraj. I thought it’d be a good pitch for batters, but overcast conditions played a part. Tough day for us at the office. We could’ve tightened our technique and would’ve helped batters settle in and free their arms later. Lots of positives. The way Sadeera and Kusal batted against spin, Also the way Asalanka batted. These three will score heavily in good batting conditions in India. We know how to bounce back from tough situations. We came into the final beating good sides. It’s a big plus. Players will continue good cricket from the last couple of years. I would like to thank the supporters who came in numbers. Sorry about the fact we disappointed you. Still thanks for the great support. And congrats to the Indian team,” Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka averred.
6. Asia Cup trophy- The gorgeous Asia Cup trophy and $150,000 in winnings were given to Team India captain Rohit Sharma. “Yeah was a great performance. To come out and play like that in the final shows the mental character. Great start with the ball and a clinical finish with the bat. I was standing in the slips, and something we take pride in – our seamers have been working really hard. Very very clear in their mind. It was good to see that. Such a performance we will cherish for a long time. I never thought it was going to do that much. Comes down to the skillset of individuals. Siraj has to be given a lot of credit. Rare for seamers to move the ball in the air and off the pitch. He’s coming off age. We did everything we could achieve as a team in this tournament. Look forward to the series that is coming up in India, and then the World Cup. The way Hardik and Ishan batted in that pressure situation against Pakistan, and then KL and Virat got hundreds. The way Gill has been batting. Guys have stood up at various stages,” Indian skipper Rohit Sharma averred.
