Sri Lanka vs India, Final at Colombo, Asia Cup, Sep 17 2023 - Ball by Ball Commentary

So India lift the trophy as the confetti falls! And with comes to a close our coverage of the Asia Cup. If you want to relive the action you don't have to look far as Hemant's match report is up. But for now, on behalf Hemant and every member of the team, thanks for all the comments, company and keeping us honest. This is Madushka signing out!

Rohit Sharma: "It was a great performance, especially to come and play like that in a final. Shows the mentality of the team. Our seamers are actually working really hard for many years, so it's pleasing for the side to see them rewarded like that. Very clinical. A performance like that will be cherished for a very long time. I never thought the ball was going to be doing that much, again it comes back to the skillset of the individuals. That's very rare, you don't see many guys who can move it in the air and off the pitch. And the other guys also who took part at various stages, they all played their part. We took all we can from this series, quite pleasing to move in this direction with this kind of confidence. The first game against Pakistan under pressure 4 down, how Hardik and Kishan batted in that pressure got us to that total. And then KL and Virat getting that hundred was brilliant to see. Also Gill, he's in terrific form, he's a batting freak. He likes to keep batting and it's something that works for our team. A lot of the guys at various stages bailed the team out in pressure situations."

Dasun Shanaka: "It was an outstanding display of bowling from Siraj, credit to him how he approached the game. I thought it would be a good pitch for the batters, but the overcast conditions played a part and it was a tough, tough day. Of course the application could have been better, could've tightened our technique a bit to settle down and free our arms in the middle period. Positive takeaway is how Sadeera Samarawickrama and Kusal Mendis batted in the middle period in spinning conditions, as well as the way Charith Asalanka batted and he's handling that pressure well. In Indian conditions these three will perform well and score heavily. Also Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana and the two other fast bowlers as well in Kasun Rajitha and Pramod Madushan, I think they will do well in the coming World Cup. Without five main players, the good thing is we came to the final playing good sides. It's a good sign from where we began two years ago. At last I would like to thank the fans who came in numbers, really sorry that we disappointed to you. We as cricketers really love you. And congratulations to the Indian team for the brand of cricket they're playing."

Sri Lanka ground staff have been handed a cheque of USD 50,000 for their outstanding work this tournament! National curator Godfrey Dabrare picks up the award.

Kuldeep Yadav takes home the Player of the Series award for his nine wickets across the tournament: "The last year and a half has been amazing, I'm enjoying my bowling. [T20 and ODI difference] In T20 format just focus on the length and not on the wickets, but in ODIs you can vary your length and try a lot more different things. Been working on my speed and angles with my coach after my injury. More aggressive and it's coming very nicely. When the fast bowlers bowl like that it's very easy for a spinner to come and bowl."

Of course Player of the Match award goes to Mohammed Siraj for his outstanding 6 for 21: "I have been bowling well for a while. The batters were getting beaten for the last two matches, today I found the edges. I just tried to hit the areas. The wicket was seaming for the last two matches, today there was swing so I tried to make the batters play as much as possible. Because it was swinging, I thought of putting the balls up to the batters. The way I thought, I executed it and the plan was successful. [On the pitch] The pitch was very good, was getting decent swing early, and I felt it was a bit damp. [On bowling alongside Pandya and Bumrah] When the fast bowler's bonding is so good that the pressure is created and we get wickets at the other end, it helps the team. [On running after the ball to save a four] Just wanted to save the boundary, but it didn't happen. Definitely my best spell. I want to give this cash prize to the groundsmen. They deserve it. If they were not around, this tournament would not have been successful."

Ravindra Jadeja gets the award for Catch of the Match, for his smart take to dismiss Pathum

Nissanka at backward point

6.54pm Time for the presentation!

Arun: "Presentation ceremony preparations taking longer than both innings combined. Another record?" --- Just a record-breaking day all-round, Arun.

Speaking of Siraj, here he is in his own words on his magical performance today.

Aman: "Siraj is my player of the match and player of the tournament. 10 wickets @12 is just insanely good bowling stats. A very Scott Boland-esque bowling average"

While we wait for the presentation, just some stats for the tournament: Matheesha Pathirana is the top wicket-taker with 11 wickets, while Shubman Gill is the top runscorer with 302.

Pawan : "Presentation team not expecting such early call. Seems few guests might be on the way." --- Certainly a possibility Pawan. Imagine there would have been quite a scramble from the time SL were bowled out - and likely even before that.

Aadarsh : "Do we not have a presentation ceremony? Waiting for a while" --- We do Aadarsh, but usually it takes a little more setting up for the final.

NethraReya: "In that group game against India , SL spinners took all the wickets, today Indian pacers took all the wickets. "

SL head coach Chris Silverwood: "It is below par. The way we got dismissed is very disappointing, think there's a lot of reflection to be done in the dressing. I think today we've come up against a very high class bowling attack, thought Siraj was superb. At the same time I think we made our own life difficult as well. We came in here with some of the younger bowlers, some of whom have shone. In the batting we've seen Sadeera come through, we've seen some good stuff in there. But today it's been disappointing. I'm sure there'll be a lot of questions asked, but best to assess it in the morning when the emotions have calmed down."

For those asking, this is the third shortest ODI ever in terms of deliveries bowled.

Ishan Kishan: "All credit to the bowlers, they bowled incredibly well. They were on point from the very first ball. Especially Siraj who was exceptional. We've played a few matches here and we knew it wasn't easy to bat second, but it's okay to lose tosses and we were ready for any situation. Opening was a nice opportunity to go out and play my shots and rotate the strike. Thanks to the skipper for the opportunity. I was just looking to do what I've been doing in the middle order."

So that was anti-climactic in many ways, but in so many other ways a culmination of what a cricketing juggernaut this India team have become. Mohammed Siraj decimated Sri Lanka's batters and then India's youthful opening pair, on the very same swinging track, knocked off the required 51 runs in just 37 deliveries! As for Sri Lanka, they've showed fight throughout this tournament, especially with a lot of their first choice bowlers missing. But the way the batting folded today in a high pressure environment will be something that will need to be addressed as soon as possible.

6.07pm As the fireworks go off in the background, the Premadasa crowd stand in stunned silence. The Indian players are out in the field congratulating each other for a job well done, as the Sri Lankans line up to shake hands.

Meanwhile, the last week saw seven days of squad changes, sixteen lakhs to an astrologer, 48 bullet points in a culture manifesto and only one AIFF. Here's recapping an eventful week in the life of Indian football's federation.

Wellalage now