India scripted history on 17 September as they crushed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the Asia Cup final at the iconic R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
All thanks to Mohammed Siraj for his lethal bowling attack, picking a six-wicket haul in just 16 balls to leave the hosts in sheer tatters.
Siraj also claimed four wickets in one over to rattle Sri Lanka, becoming the first Indian bowler to achieve this feat. As the Indian pacer was on the verge of picking up a hat-trick, the delivery turned into a moment of absolute laughter for the Indian team.
As skipper Rohit Sharma overloaded the slip cordon to give Siraj every opportunity at the feat, there was no fielder in the front of square and the new batter Dhananjaya de Silva pushed the fuller one through the vacant mid-on region.
With the ball moved towards the boundary line, Siraj also ran but only in vain. The sight of Siraj running to catch the ball left Virat Kohli bursting into an uncontrollable laughter. Also, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya were left in splits. Commentators Wasim Akram and Ravi Shastri also saw the funny side to it as Siraj sheepishly smiled on.
Though in the next ball, Siraj ended that over with the dismissal of Dhananjaya, becoming the first Indian bowler ever to pick four wickets in a single over in ODIs.
Apart from Siraj, Hardik Pandya picked three wickets, while Bumrah clinched one, ending the Sri Lanka innings at 50 in just 15.2 overs.
Chasing 51, India’s openers Shubman Gill (27) and Ishan Kishan (23), finished the game in just 6.1 overs. India has now become Asia Cup champions for the 8th time.