| ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Headingley |
| Sri Lanka 264-7 (50 overs): Mathews 113; Bumrah 3-37 |
| India 265-3 (43.3 overs): Rahul 111, Rohit 103; Rajitha 1-47 |
| India won by seven wickets |
India finished top of the World Cup group table with a seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka and will face New Zealand in the first semi-final on July 9th at Old Trafford.
Sri Lanka top order collapse
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat on a nice batting track. but their top order collapsed against disciplined Indian bowling attack. Bumrah 3/37 once again leading from the front for Team India and reminded Sri Lanka batsmen that he is no.1 ranked bowler for a reason.
Sri Lanka was in deep trouble at one stage by losing four wickets for just 55 runs. But former captain Angelo Mathews 113 from 128 balls along with Thirimanne 53 from 68 helped them to post a decent total of 264/7 in 50 overs on a good batting wicket.
Rohit, the man on a mission…
A few days back Indian Captain no.1 ranked ODI batsmen Virat Kohli, named Rohit Sharma as a top ODI batsman. Rohit proved once again that Kohli statement is correct by scoring the fifth century of the tournament. And he became the first man to score five centuries in a single World Cup.
Rohit’s 103 from 94 balls along with Rahul 111 from 118 balls helped India to chase down 265 with 6.3 overs to spare at Headingley. There is nothing for the Indian middle order to do in this match.
With India’s win and Australia’s loss to South Africa, men in the blue finished the group stage at top of the table and they will face fourth-placed New Zealand in the first semi-final clash at Old Trafford, Australia will place host nation England in other semi-finals on Ju;y 11th at Edgbaston.
Captain’s Corner…
India captain Virat Kohli: “We wanted to play good cricket but we didn’t expect to do this well heading into the semis. That’s what hard work gets you. I am really proud of this team as a captain, they are amazing people.
“More or less everything is set for the semis but we don’t want to be one-dimensional. We need balance in the side. We are very happy.”
Rohit Sharma: “I have learned from my mistakes in the past. I don’t go into a match thinking of hundreds. Every day is a new day.”
Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne: “After this World Cup we have to go have a think about what we have to do and what we got wrong.
“We will talk to the selectors and find some new talent. Four years is a long period.
“We will find guys who can play a good role for Sri Lanka. We will search for some talents.”
Highlights
Twitter reaction
Wishes pour in for Rohit for his record breaking century…
