Mohammad Shami was the toast of the nation as his five-wicket haul helped India register its 7th straight win in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. India defeated Sri Lanka in Mumbai by 302 runs on November 2, 2023.
After Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl first, India posted 357/8 in 50 overs with notable contributions from Virat Kohli (88), Shubman Gill (92) and Shreyas Iyer (82). Dilshan Madushanka picked 5/80 for Sri Lanka.
In response, it was totally disappointing performance by Sri Lankan batters. Kasun Rajitha top-scored with 14 as the Islanders were blown away for 55 runs and lost the game by 302 runs. Mohammad Shami starred for India with 5/18, his second fifer in this World Cup.
He also became the highest wicket-taker for India in World Cups with 45 scalps, going past Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan’s record of 44 wickets.
After the match, Mohammad Shami reflected on his five-wicket haul and how he plans for every game.
“Our bowling is in good shape and with the kind of rhythm (talking about the form of the pacers) that we are in, everyone is enjoying and everyone is happy for each other's success, and more importantly, we are bowling as a unit and that's the result you are getting to see. I always try to bowl in good areas and be in good rhythm. In big tournaments, once the rhythm goes away, it's very tough to get it back. I always focus on hitting the good areas and length.
Very happy (on becoming India's leading wicket-taker in World Cups) It's very important to be in rhythm in white ball cricket and hit the good areas. If you hit the good areas with the new ball you will get assistance off the pitch and for me, length matters a lot. The kind of support we get from the crowd, I want to thank each and every one of them. We also get a lot of support whenever we travel outside India as well. The dressing room is in a very good space,” Shami said during the post-match presentation.
Not only was the Mumbai crowd pleased with Mohammad Shami’s performance, which earned him the Player of the Match, his second in this CWC 2023, but the cricket fraternity was also impressed with this bowling.
They took to X and shared their joy and praised Mohammad Shami with compliments.
Here are the posts:
