On Sunday in Colombo, Team India defeated Sri Lanka and won their seventh Asia Cup championship. Sri Lanka chose to bat first, however, they had a terrible day as they were bowled out for only 50 runs. Later, Team India successfully surpassed the goal in 6.1 overs without taking a single wicket. Mohammed Siraj, a bowler who set several records with his amazing six-wicket haul, was the key contributor. The Hyderabad-based pacer, who had the second-best bowling statistics in Asia Cup history, has won a lot of appreciation from people all over the world. Even the Bollywood celebrities have applauded Siraj for his performance in Asia Cup 2023. Scroll down to read that B-Town applauds Siraj for his stellar performance.
B-Town Applauds Siraj For His Stellar Performance
Speaking of compliments, several well-known B-Town figures did not hold back in praising Siraj for his outstanding performance against Sri Lanka. Anushka Sharma, a well-known Bollywood actress and the wife of cricketer Virat Kohli, uploaded a photo of Siraj to her Instagram account along with the message, “Kya baat hai Miyan Magic.”
Actress Shraddha Kapoor also uploaded a photo of herself on her Instagram story with Anushka, along with the caption, “Ab Siraj se hi pucho ke iss free time ke saath kya karein? (Ask Siraj what we should do with our leisure time right now.)”
The pacer, who is 29 years old, not only played admirably with the ball but also captured fans’ hearts with his post-game gesture. After the championship game, Siraj presented the ‘Player of the Final’ $1,000 reward to the R. Premadasa Stadium grounds crew in appreciation of their efforts in ensuring that both the championship game and several previous matches continued following weather delays.
Rain disrupted many games at the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, including the match between Pakistan and Nepal in the group stages, as well as the contest between Sri Lanka and Pakistan for the final position. In a post-match interview, Siraj said, “These funds belong to the groundskeepers. Without them, this tournament would not have been possible.”
The pacer tied former Lankan pacer Chaminda Vaas for the quickest five-wicket haul in one-dayers with his 6/21 against Sri Lanka, becoming only the fourth bowler in ODI history to capture four wickets in an over—in just 16 deliveries.
Siraj is the second bowler to capture six wickets in the 50-over Asia Cup format after Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka did it against India in 2008.
Also read, Siraj donates Asia Cup final prize money to grounds persons.
