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Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj rattled Sri Lanka with an excellent opening spell in the third ODI on Sunday, January 15, at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. On the back of his performance, Team India skittled out Sri Lanka for just 73 and won the match by a massive margin of 317 runs.
The hosts batted first and scaled a mammoth total of 390/5, reaping rich dividends on a flat surface on offer. Virat Kohli (166*) and Shubman Gill (116) hit magnificent centuries to steer their side to a dominant position in the first innings. Rohit Sharma (42) and Shreyas Iyer (38) chipped in with useful runs and played support roles.
In response, Sri Lanka got off to a poor start chasing a massive total. Mohammed Siraj (4/32) wreaked havoc with the new ball by dismissing the top three batters to put a dent in the hopes of Sri Lanka's victory.
He then cleaned up the dangerous Wanindu Hasaranga in the 10th over with a brilliant incoming delivery. Siraj followed it with an attentive direct run-out to send back Chamika Karunaratne to the pavilion and reduce Sri Lanka to 39/6.
The Hyderabadi pacer bowled out his ten overs in search of a well-deserved fifer, but Kasun Rajitha defied him by playing out his last couple of overs without giving up his wicket. Kuldeep Yadav wrapped up the innings in the next over by dismissing Lahiru Kumara.
Speaking at the end of the match, Siraj reflected on his spell, saying:
"It would have been my first five-wicket haul. It tried hard, but it was just not meant to be. We are destined to get whatever is written in the fortunes. My rhythm has been good for some time. The outswinger is coming out well. But the scrambled seam is the real wicket-taking ball."
He added:
"The batters have the outswinger in mind and I slip in the scrambled seam delivery. Out captain put in efforts (by bowling Shreyas Iyer at the other end), but it didn't happen. It is good to take four wickets on this track."
Fans heap praise on Mohammed Siraj for his outstanding spell in the 3rd ODI against Sri Lanka
Fans enjoyed Siraj's sensational bowling performance in the third ODI against Sri Lanka. They expressed their reactions to the same through intriguing memes. Here are some of the best ones:
