At the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India took on Sri Lanka with the hopes of securing a semifinal position. India scored 357 runs thanks to great knocks from Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli. Here is a recap of the first innings.
India controls the batting powerplay
Rohit Sharma got off to an aggressive start like he has been doing the entire competition. On the first ball, Rohit blasted a four, but the next ball saw him out. With an outswinger, Dilshan Madushanka removed the Indian captain. On the final ball of the first over, Virat Kohli hit his first four of the innings. From the other end, Dushmantha Chameera bowled a maiden over. He brought another lady over after that. In the fifth over, Shubman Gill hit two straight fours, thus releasing his chains. In the sixth over, Chameera was also struck by Kohli for two boundaries.
Advertisement
After being added to the attack in the seventh over, Kasun Rajitha got off to a bad start after being struck for two straight fours. In the eighth over, Angelo Matthews came to bat, and Gill hit the seasoned all-rounder for a four. Rajitha gave up 10 runs in his second over, demonstrating his persistent expensiveness. In the final over of the powerplay, Matthews bowled quietly. In the powerplay, India amassed 60 runs while only losing one wicket.
Kohli and Gill provide stability
After the powerplay, Maheesh Theekshana took Rajitha’s place and bowled the opening over. With a four, Kohli greeted the spinner. In ODIs, the third-ranked Indian player scored more than a thousand runs in 2023. For the eighth time in a calendar year, he surpassed Sachin Tendulkar to become the first player to score more than 1000 runs. Theekshana was hit for a four in his second over, demonstrating his sustained exorbitant costs.
In the fourteenth over, Madushanka returned to the assault. In the fifteenth over, Dushan Hemantha was also brought on to bowl his first World Cup over. In the sixteenth over, Madushanka was hammered for two fours, bringing both batsmen closer to fifty. In the 17th over, Gill reached the century-run partnership with a single. In the 19th over, Gill reached his half-century with a four.
Advertisement
Theekshana returned to the attack once more and continued to be costly, giving up 11 runs in his second over of the new spell. After initially taking a backseat to Kohli, Gill raised the stakes by hitting Chameera and Hemantha for four boundaries in the 28th and 29th over, amassing eighteen runs in only nine balls.
Madushanka strikes once again for Sri Lanka
In the thirty-first over, Madushanka was brought back into the attack and was hit for a four by Gill, but the Sri Lankan pacer had the last laugh, removing the Indian opener. With 11 fours and two sixes, Gill amassed 92 runs in 92 balls. Kohli, who was only 12 runs shy of becoming the 49th ODI century, was bowled by the left-arm pacer. With 11 fours in 94 balls, Kohli scored 88 runs.
Rahul and Iyer play attacking cricket
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer came to the crease after two fast wickets. In the 34th over, Rahul hit Rajitha for a four and Iyer hit him for a six. Iyer kept up his upbeat batting attitude despite a run of poor outings in earlier games. Hemantha was destroyed by Iyer for his second six. Rajitha remained costly, and in the 36th over, Iyer struck another six while playing on his home pitch. In just 27 balls, the pair scored 43 runs.
India lost a couple of quick wickets
When Chameera returned to the attack in the 38th over, Iyer looked menacing and crushed him for a four. In the next over, Chameera got back on track by dismissing Rahul. In the 40th over of his innings, Suryakumar Yadav hit two fours. In the 41st over, Iyer struck his fourth six of the game off bowling from Theekshana. In the 42nd over of the match, Madushanka secured his third wicket by dismissing Suryakumar.
In just 36 balls, Iyer reached his half-century in the 43rd over. In his ninth over, Madushanka gave up just nine runs. Theekshana finished with statistics of 10-0-67-0 after scoring 10 runs off his final over. At Wankhede, India also achieved their greatest score in ODIs. Iyer welcomed Madushanka’s final over with two consecutive sixes. On the very next ball, Madushanka dismissed Iyer to complete his fifer. Iyer struck three fours and six sixes to score 82 runs in 56 balls.
Advertisement