IND vs SL: Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj unleash fireworks with wickets, thrill Wankhede crowd

India made a fantastic start as they aimed to defend their 358-run target against Sri Lanka in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium. At the time of writing this article, four overs had been bowled, and Sri Lanka had only managed to accumulate 7 runs while losing 4 wickets. 

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Jasprit Bumrah initiated the second innings by taking a wicket with his very first ball, and Mohammed Siraj followed suit by claiming wickets with the first ball of his over, continuing to make significant inroads into the Sri Lankan batting order.

Bumrah bowled a delightful delivery, angling it into Pathum Nissanka, who departed for a golden duck. Bumrah induced Nissanka to come forward, and the ball struck the batsman's pads. The only question was about the ball's height, but umpire Paul Reiffel promptly raised his finger. Nissanka chose to review, but it was determined that the ball was clipping the top of the bails, and the umpire's call stood. This early breakthrough pleased India, and Bumrah, while Sri Lanka maintained their review due to it being the umpire's call.

Mohammed Siraj, on the other hand, had a dream start, dismissing Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, and Sadeera Samarawickrama. 

In his first wicket, he bowled a full delivery that swung late into Karunaratne. The Sri Lankan captain flicked and missed, and the ball crashed into the stumps. Umpire Chris Brown had no hesitation in giving Karunaratne out, even though he opted to review, it did not favour him, and he departed without scoring.

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In the same over, Siraj claimed the wicket of Sadeera Samarawickrama. Siraj bowled a short-of-length delivery outside off after moving wide of the crease. Samarawickrama believed it was a scoring opportunity and attempted a punch, but he only managed to produce a thick outside edge. Rohit Sharma, in his capacity as captain, had stationed a third slip, and Shreyas Iyer held onto the catch comfortably. Samarawickrama also departed without scoring, making it two ducks in a row.

Siraj returned to the attack to dismiss Sri Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis. Once more, he went wide of the crease, delivering a back-of-length delivery that angled into the off-stump. Kusal Mendis failed to pick the ball properly and was caught on the back foot, with the ball straightening after pitching and hitting the top of the off-stump. Kusal Mendis was dismissed after scoring only one run.