Continuing their rich vein of form in the tournament, India entered into the semi finals of World Cup 2023, becoming the first team to do so. The hosts have displayed top notch performance to seal their place in the knockouts, by defeating Srilanka by a huge margin of 302 runs. With the victory, Men in Blue go to the top of the table, being the only side unbeaten in the entire tournament. The victory was a result of complete dominance of Indian team in all the three departments of the game.

The two subcontinent teams had different fate in the ongoing tournament till their encounter with each other. While India topped the table winning every match coming their way, Sri Lanka found it difficult to find their rhythm in the tournament, post their good performances in the first two games in the tournament. Their previous encounter with Afghanistan also resulted in a loss, further depleting their confidence. With almost their chances of knockouts already slim, the Lankan lions were expected to come out all guns blazing playing without any pressure. But what happened was unexpected and unfortunate.

Winning toss, Sri Lanka chose to bat, a decision which massively backfired them. Madhushanka did manage to get rid of Rohit Sharma right on the second ball of the innings, but then Srilanka could hardly put pressure on India. After surviving initial fiery spell from Madhushanka and Chameera, Gill and Kohli started to take on the Sinhalese bowlers. The duo of youth and experience batted sensibly and played grounded shots for a longer period, before taking the aerial route. Caution with aggression led by the duo helped provide the perfect launchpad for a good Indian total.

Even after both fell short of their well deserved centuries, woes didn't end for Srilanka bowlers. Post the two wickets, Shreyas Iyer took on the Sinhalese bowlers in some style. He didn't stutter a bit to clear the fence, and in process he hit some of the longest and majestic sixes of the tournament. His quickfire innings of 82 off 56 deliveries helped India reach a good total of 357 runs. For Srilanka, Dilshan Madhushanka grabbed a 5-wicket haul dismissing the likes of Rohit, Gill, Virat, Surya, and Iyer. He was the lone warrior for Srilanka, and his first spell stopped only after 3 overs was a strategic mistake which proved costly.

If the Indian batters weren't enough to demean the morale of Srilanka, the Indian bowling line-up did the further job to decimate them. The Indian pace trio of Shami, Siraj and Bumrah rattled the Lankan batting line-up, giving a chance to relive the Asia cup final. Their batters fell like a pack of cards and with 4 wickets down for 3 runs, they succumbed to the pressure. At a point where 6 wickets were down for 14 runs, it looked whether the team can go beyond 50 run mark or not. Subsequently, their innings ended at 55 runs. The beast for India in ICC tournaments, Shami grabbed another 5-wicket haul showing how important he is to the squad.

The game between two test playing nations ended up being a one sided game. Quite similar to the game between India and England, the Indian bowlers showed why they should be feared going ahead in this tournament. In all of these 7 victories for Men in Blue, the spearheads have rose to the occasion beautifully. On wickets where ball isn't even swinging much, the bowlers are proving crucial with their discipline in line and lengths. It's quite pleasing to see the side not known for bowlers, bowling their heart out and proving everyone wrong with their performance.

With 7 wins in the tournament, the collective effort of every individual has helped the team reach to the knockouts of the tournament. And with this match, the team has ticked the box of batting first and posting a good total. In the past 24 matches of world cup history(2015,2019,2023), the team has won a staggering 21 of them. The 2 out of the 3 lost came in knockouts. However, this campaign, it might differ. The top order looks great, with Gill, Virat and Rohit in great touch. The middle order is rock solid with Iyer, Surya, Rahul, Jadeja. And the Indian bowlers are breathing fire and making life hell for opposition batters every time they are getting a chance to enter the field. And in all possibilities, the Indian team looks favourites for the tournament to be emerged as champions.