WC: India beat Sri Lanka by 302 runs with Shami's 5-18 after Gill, Kohli, Iyer fifties

India won their seventh match in the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup, sealing a place in the semifinals. They beat Sri Lanka by 302 runs, thanks to a brilliant all-round performance. Shubman Gill (92), Virat Kohli (88) and Shreyas Iyer (82) led the batting charge as India posted 357/8 in 50 overs. Pacer Mohammed Shami claimed a five-wicket haul, his 5-18 helping to bundle out Sri Lanka for 55. This was the fourth-largest win ever by India. With 14 points from seven matches, India is the first team to confirm their place in the last-four stage.

India's pace bowlers Mohammed Shami and Mohd Siraj put up an outstanding performance in the first ODI against Sri Lanka. Shami claimed five wickets for 18 runs, while Siraj took three wickets for 16 runs. The Indian pace attack threatened to get Sri Lanka out for their lowest total ever after reducing them to 22/7 in just 12 overs. Jasprit Bumrah also claimed a wicket, while Siraj and Shami bagged two wickets each in their opening overs. Sri Lanka was four down for just three runs, and then 14/6 at the end of the 10th over. Shami, who came in as the first change, sent back Charith Asalanka (1) in his opening over, as the batter hit a short and wide delivery straight to Ravindra Jadeja at backward point.

Dushmantha Chameera got a first-ball duck and Shami claimed three wickets, including Chameera's, with the help of DRS. Sri Lanka was 22/7 after 12 overs, and Shami took two more wickets to complete his fifer. Sri Lanka's ninth-wicket partnership was only the third instance where a batsman had gotten into double figures. Ravindra Jadeja ended their innings when he sent back Madushanka for five. Earlier, Sri Lanka got an early breakthrough but was unable to capitalize on it due to inconsistent bowling, dropped catches, and poor fielding.

Gill and Kohli raised a crucial 189-run partnership for the second wicket after skipper Rohit Sharma was out for four off the second ball of the innings, while Iyer shared two half-century partnerships with KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja lower down the order, setting Sri Lanka a big target to chase. Kohli and Gill, who was dropped at nine by Madushanka off his bowling in the fifth over, rescued India with a superb partnership, playing cautiously initially but never failing to punish the poor deliveries of which the Sri Lankans bowled quite a few. They struck boundaries at regular intervals as India ended the first Powerplay at 60/1.

Both Gill and Kohli were out within a space of three runs, but India went on to put up a big score thanks to Shreyas Iyer. Iyer kept the scoring rate up as he struck a few sweetly-timed boundaries and hammered Hemantha straight over his head for a big six and followed it up with a 106-metre monster off Rajitha a couple of overs later in the 36th. Back-to-back sixes off Madushanka in the 48th over by Iyer brought up the half-century of his sixth wicket partnership with Ravindra Jadeja.  His brilliant innings of 82 off 56 balls put India within sniffing distance of the 350 mark.