Rohit Sharma praises quality of seamers after lethal performances back-to-back

Not too long ago, The Indian pacers ripped England apart in Lucknow to win the game by 100 runs after putting up 229. On Thursday (November 2), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj led the way once again as they bundled Sri Lanka out for just 55 after putting up 357.

India skipper Rohit Sharma praised his pace bowling unit after their impressive shows in the last two games.

"To put in a performance back-to-back against England and now today shows the quality of the seamers and if there is something in the conditions, they are quite lethal. All in all, it was pleasing to watch (bowlers dominating proceedings) and I hope they continue to do it that way," Rohit said at the post-match presentation.

With this mammoth win over Sri Lanka, India became the first team to qualify for the World Cup semi-final. They have won all their seven games so far with utmost ease and Rohit is pleased with how clinical his team has been throughout the tournament.

"Very happy knowing that we have officially qualified now. Been a good effort from the squad when we started off in Chennai. This was our goal, to qualify first and then obviously to be in the semis and the finals. The way we approached these 7 games, it was quite clinical. Everyone put in the effort and a lot of individuals have put their hand up," the India skipper said.

"Shreyas [Iyer] is a very strong [in his mind] lad and today, as you saw, he went there and did what he is exactly known for and that is what we expect from him. 

"Showed that he is ready to take the challenge that is in front of him and Siraj is another quality bowler for us and if he does that [making the new ball talk], things look different for us. He [Siraj] has got a lot of skills when he is operating with the new ball. Even Surya [Suryakumar Yadav], for that matter, got us some crucial runs in the back end of the last game."

Sri Lanka skipper Kusal Mendis expressed disappointment at his team's loss but was pleased with the way Dilshan Madushanka, who picked up five wickets, bowled.

"I am very disappointed with the team's performance, with myself also. They bowled really well, little bit of seam movement under lights as well. Unfortunately, we lost the match. I wanted to bowl first because I felt the wicket would be slow in the first half," Mendis said.

"Madushanka bowled really well and we missed taking chances from Virat [Kohli] and [Shubman] Gill and sometimes those moments could change the game. Our bowlers did well in the middle overs. They bowled really well in the first 6 overs, and I think they deserve all the credit tonight. We have another 2 games and I hope we come back strong in the next game."

Speaking about his incredible performances in the World Cup, Shami says he keeps things simple. "I always try to bowl in good areas and be in good rhythm. In big tournaments, once the rhythm goes away, it's very tough to get it back. I always focus on hitting the good areas and length," the pacer said.

India will look to continue their momentum when they take on South Africa next on Sunday (November 5) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, take on an already-eliminated Bangladesh in Delhi on Monday (November 6).