"To play like that in final shows the mental character": Rohit Sharma after winning Asia Cup title
Sep 17, 2023
Colombo [Sri Lanka], September 17 : India captain Rohit Sharma lauded his team’s mental strength and said that to come out and produce a performance they did in the Asia Cup final shows "mental character."
After speedster Mohammed Siraj's fiery spell decimated Sri Lanka, the opening duo of Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan's fifty-run partnership helped India lift the Asia Cup trophy for the 8th time in style after beating co-hosts in the final at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
"Yeah was a great performance. To come out and play like that in the final shows the mental character. Great start with the ball and a clinical finish with the bat. I was standing in the slips, and something we take pride in - our seamers have been working really hard. Very very clear in their mind," Rohit Sharma said in a post-match presentation.
Praising the star pacer Siraj who mayhem Sri Lanka, Sharma said that he has come of age. Leading the India fast bowling effort, Siraj ran through the Sri Lanka top-order in a dazzling performance in the summit clash. It just took a little more than two hours for India to win their 8th Asia Cup title in style. Men in Blue lifted the Asia Cup trophy after five years.
"It was good to see that. Such a performance we will cherish for a long time. I never thought it's going to do that much. Comes down to the skillset of individuals. Siraj has to be given a lot of credit. Rare for seamers to move the ball in the air and off the pitch. He's coming off age," he added.
The Men in Blue skipper also emphasised the performance of his pacers as a unit and said, “Our seamers have been working really hard. Very very clear in their mind. It was good to see that. Such a performance we will cherish for a long time.”
With boosted confidence India will now look to prepare for the ODI World Cup as they take on Australia in a three-match ODI series with the first match being played at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.
"Look forward to the series that is coming up in India, and then the World Cup. The way Hardik and Ishan batted in that pressure situation against Pakistan, and then KL and Virat got hundreds. The way Gill has been batting. Guys have stood up at various stages," he added.
The Asia Cup summit clash saw a terrific turn of events as Indian pacer Siraj bowled a dream spell against Sri Lanka. In a spectacular display of bowling prowess, Sri Lanka was bowled out for a mere 50 runs in just 15.2 overs, mainly due to Siraj’s exceptional performance, claiming six wickets in seven overs.
In response, India chased down the target in merely 37 balls by 10 wickets. This is the largest victory for India, by the number of balls remaining in the innings and also the biggest defeat for Sri Lanka.
With this, India became the Asia Cup champions for the eighth time and kept the tag of being the most successful team in the tournament.
