Sandeep Dwivedi of the Indian Express catches up with a few Sri Lanka cricketers in Mumbai, and gets them to talk about their latest spin sensation, Ajantha Mendis. In just over a week, Mendis will be in Pakistan for the Asia Cup playing international cricket for the first time in the sub-continent, though he did turn out in one game for the Kolkata Knight Riders against Kings XI Punjab after being signed at a late stage for the IPL. With the new ‘freak show’ coming soon to world cricket’s epicentre, it isn’t tough to guess where the spotlight is headed.
Ask [Mahela] Jayawardene about Mendis and he gets a twinkle in his eye that is the prerogative of someone hiding an ace up his sleeve. “It’s really exciting to have a spinner like him in the squad. In Sri Lanka, the anticipation is similar to the one that was during Murali’s [Muttiah Muralitharan’s] early days,” he says. And that’s saying a lot since the comparison happens to be with the highest wicket-taker in the world.
The man at the helm of affairs when Murali was taking his first step in international cricket, Arjuna Ranatunga, has one request that could ensure Mendis’s initiation in international cricket is smooth. “We never had a problem replacing our pacers but we had a tough time getting quality spinners. Finally, we have Mendis. Though it doesn’t seem like Murali will retire soon, it will be good if he sticks around for at least two years. It will be great if Murali is around to guide Mendis.”
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