MUMBAI: Were you also amazed? You wouldn’t be alone. In a bowling performance that will find its way into highlight reels for the next few decades, India blew Sri Lanka by 302 runs to become the first team to advance to the semifinal of the World Cup. The hostile hot and humid conditions were no deterrent for either the batters or bowlers. This wasn’t just any ordinary performance as much as a statement. A warning shot to the other rivals, including South Africa who they face next in Kolkata on Sunday. The win means the hosts can finish no lower than third place on the table after the completion of the group stage. After winning seven on the bounce, they are now 14 points, two ahead of the Proteas.
“Very happy knowing that we have officially qualified now,” Rohit Sharma told the broadcaster after the game. “This was our goal. The way we approached these seven games, it was quite clinical.” It’s possible that the skipper has undersold the performances of his charges. The way they have won the seven games is reminiscent of the way the all-conquering Australian side won the event in 2007. In terms of margin, the closest is the four-wicket win they had over New Zealand at Dharamsala. But even that match was effectively over long before the final ball was bowled.
That sort of domination was in force at the Wankhede on Thursday. After they were asked to bat, all three of Virat Kohli (88), Shubman Gill (92) and Shreyas Iyer (82), who put on a six-hitting exhibition, came up with big contributions to lift the side to 357.
It always tends to do a bit under the lights at this ground so Rohit was delighted that they would be bowling second. This is a bowling line-up designed to extract whatever movement is on offer. That’s what all three of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami did on a night when they were pretty close to flawless. While Shami was the hero again with another fifer (he is now the country’s leading wicket-taker in World Cups), Bumrah started the show with a wicket of the first ball. Less than 20 overs later, the stamp of approval was visible.