Some fiery fast bowling from India’s Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj lit up their World Cup encounter with Sri Lanka and helped the unbeaten hosts secure a thumping 302-run victory on Thursday, becoming the first side to book a semi-final spot.

Sri Lanka’s chase got off to an awful start. Jasprit Bumrah struck with the first delivery before Siraj picked up the next three wickets to reduce them to four for three runs.

Coming into the attack next, Shami bagged a five-wicket haul to ensure that India’s juggernaut rolled on. Shami finished with 5-18 while Siraj took 3-16 as Sri Lanka were bundled out for 55, their lowest total in a 50-over World Cup.

Upon securing his fifth wicket, Shami knelt down with both palms touching the ground, a gesture that initially suggested he might be about to offer a 'Sajda' to express gratitude to the Almighty for his achievement. However, he refrained from doing so, opting to sit with bent knees, while his teammates approached to celebrate his exceptional bowling performance.

The pose adopted by Shami following his five-wicket haul stirred discussions on social media, with some speculating that the fast bowler refrained from performing a Sajda due to fear of receiving backlash from Indian fans amid Islamophobic atmosphere in India.