India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj wreaked havoc over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023 final on Sunday in Colombo to record his ODI career-best figures of 6/21.
Jasprit Bumrah started the wickets procession with a dismissal on the third ball of the match, while Hardik Pandya took the last three Sri Lankan wickets. In the middle, it was Mohammed Siraj who ran through the Lankan batting order with utter domination, in front of their capacity-packed home crowd at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Bowling 7 overs on a trot, Mohammed Siraj ended with figures of 7-1-21-6 and produced an outstanding display of swing and seam movement bowling.
This spell included an over, his second, in which he took 4 wickets in an over! Sirah attained his five-wicket haul in only 16 balls. This is now the joint-fastest five-wicket haul in ODI history, moving level with the 16-ball record set by former Sri Lankan seamer Chaminda Vaas vs Bangladesh in 2003.
Despite Siraj’s brilliance against Sri Lanka, his performance is still the 4th best bowling figures by an Indian bowler in ODIs.
Which Indian bowlers has the best bowling figures in ODIs?
Former all-rounder Stuart Binny continues to hold the record for best bowling figures by an Indian bowler in ODI – 6/4 he took vs Bangladesh in 2014.
List of best bowling ODI figures for India:
6/4 Stuart Binny vs Bangladesh Mirpur 2014
6/12 Anil Kumble vs West Indies Kolkata 1993
6/19 Jasprit Bumrah vs England The Oval 2022
6/21 Mohd Siraj vs Sri Lanka Colombo RPS 2023
6/23 Ashish Nehra vs England, Durban 2003
Sri Lanka were bowled out for only 50 runs in 15.2 overs. Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan gunned down the 51-run target with utter ease in only 6.1 overs to seal India’s 8th Asia Cup trophy.
Speaking in the mid-match break, Siraj said “Feels like a dream. Last time I did the same against Sri Lanka at Trivandrum. Got four wickets early, couldn’t get the five-for. Realised you get what’s in your destiny. Did not try too much today. I have always looked for swing in white-ball cricket. Did not find much in the previous games. But today it was swinging, and I got more wickets with the outswinger. Wanted to make the batters drive.”
