Vaibhav Tripathi
After bagging a five-for in the 2023 World Cup game against Sri Lanka, the Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami emphasized on the point that he is not trying anything fancy, but rather focusing on hitting the right line and length in order to generate movement and take wickets.
The right-arm pacer had previously claimed a five-wicket haul and a four-wicket haul in his two preceding matches. Consequently, he now holds the distinction of being India’s most successful bowler in the World Cup history.
“I’m trying to bowl in the right areas. Just hit the right lines and lengths and if you execute it, you will get seam movement. It’s important to have the rhythm. If you bowl in the right areas, you will get seam movement and especially, with the new ball, you will get the swing,” he said after winning the player of the match award.
With their seventh win of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, India are through to the semi-finals. Sharing his thoughts on the performance, Rohit Sharma, the skipper, said: “Very happy that we have officially qualified for the semi-finals now. When we started in Chennai, this was our first goal. But how we approached these seven games, it was clinical. In a match where India was compelled to bat first, they compiled a formidable total of 357-8.
This marked only the second instance in the tournament when India batted first. “It was a good challenge to bat first and put runs on the board. That’s exactly what we did today. You want to score as many runs and 350 is good on any surface and credit to the seamers then the way they bowled,” he noted.
India will next face South Africa, scheduled to be held in Kolkata on November 2. Rohit acknowledged the challenges that the Proteas bring to the table. “South Africa are playing some good cricket. It’s going to be a great spectacle for the fans around the world and in Kolkata and they will enjoy the game.”
In response to India’s first innings total, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 55 inside 20 overs. The Sri Lanka skipper, Kusal Mendis, was unhappy with his team’s batting display. “Of course, I am very disappointed with our batting and also with myself. Their guys bowled brilliantly, they swung and seamed beautifully. We couldn’t really play to our potential.
Looking at the kind of movement the Indian bowlers found in the second innings, perhaps Sri Lanka could have batted first? “I really can’t say that one in words (on the decision during the toss). The pitch was on the slower side early on, which is why I wanted to bowl first, and our bowlers bowled pretty well. Madushanka and Chameera bowled well to start with, but Shubhman’s chance and Virat’s chance weren’t taken, and then the game changed a bit. Everyone bowled well in the middle overs,” Mendis concluded.