India became the first team to secure a semi-final spot at the Cricket World Cup after Mohammed Siraj bowled a stellar opening spell to help the hosts dismantle Sri Lanka for a 302-run win.
Siraj took three wickets for nought in the first seven balls as Sri Lanka lost its first four wickets for just three runs within 19 deliveries.
Mohammed Shami then took four wickets in three overs in his opening spell, as Sri Lanka was bowled out for 55 runs in 19.4 overs. That was after Shubman Gill’s 92 and a quick-fire 82 off 56 balls from Shreyas Iyer helped India reach 357-8.
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It was the second biggest margin of victory by runs in World Cup history after Australia beat Netherlands by 309 runs last week.
Shami finished with 5-18 in five overs, his second five-wicket haul in this tournament. Siraj finished with 3-16 in seven overs.
Virat Kohli also scored 88 runs, and he and Gill put on 189 for India's second wicket. It was the highest team score without an individual hundred in a World Cup.
India rose atop the points table with a perfect record after seven games and is the only unbeaten side in the tournament. It will play its semi-final at the same venue on November 15, unless it meets arch rival Pakistan in the last four — in which case the game would be played in Kolkata on November 16.
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“I am very happy knowing that we have officially qualified now. It has been a good effort from the squad since we started off in Chennai," India skipper Rohit Sharma said.
"That was our goal – to qualify first and then to be in the semis and the finals. The way we have approached these seven games … it has been quite clinical.”
With a fifth defeat in seven games, Sri Lanka still has a mathematical chance of reaching the semi-finals by winning its remaining two games, but will also need other results going its way.
Shami was named player of the match.
“Our bowling is in good shape … with this kind of rhythm, everyone is enjoying bowling," Shami said. "We are bowling as a unit and that’s the kind of result you get to see.”
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