WATCH: Kusal Mendis refuses to ‘congratulate’ Virat Kohli on 49th ODI ton ahead of ODI World Cup 2023 clash vs Bangladesh

The Sri Lanka cricket team is all set to lock horns against Bangladesh for their eighth game of the ODI World Cup 2023, slated to take place on November 6 at Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in Delhi. Notably, Kusal Mendis-led Sri Lanka suffered an embarrassing and humiliating loss over Team India in their last match on November 2 at Wankhede Cricket Stadium.

However, Sri Lanka’s stand-in skipper, Kusal Mendis, was spotted addressing the pre-match conference ahead of their clash against Bangladesh on November 5. Meanwhile, some of the reporters and journalists asked him if he would like to felicitate Virat Kohli for his magnificent 49th ODI ton. Kusal Mendis comes up with an unexpected answer and denies congratulating him.

Journalist ” Virat Just scored his 49th ODI ton. Do you like to congratulate him?”

Kusal Mendis” Why I would congratulate him”

Meanwhile, Kusal Mendis was extremely disappointed after losing to the hosts at Wankhede Cricket Stadium. The 28-year-old was regretting choosing to bowl first after winning the toss. In addition, the wicketkeeper-batsman feels the partnership between Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill was the turning moment that took the game away from them.

We missed taking chances from Virat Kohli and Gill: Kusal Mendis

“I am very disappointed with the team’s performance, with myself also. They bowled well, with a 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. Madushanka bowled well and we missed taking chances from Virat and Gill and sometimes those moments could change the game. Our bowlers did well in the middle overs,” Kusal Mendis said after losing to Team India.

Meanwhile, some reports claim that the Sri Lanka Cricket Board wants urgent answers and explanations from the Sri Lanka head coach, managers, and selectors for their humiliating loss over Team India. Moreover, the SLC has further raised questions about their team performance, strategies, and skill set.

Watch the full video here:

Journalist " Virat Just scored his 49th ODI ton. Do you like to congratulate him?"

Kusal Mendis" Why I would congratulate him"😭😭😭#INDvSA #INDvsSA #SAvIND #ViratKohli #CWC2023 #KusalMendis #PAKvsNZ #GOAT𓃵 #BabarAzam #Babar #Kohli #KingKohli #HappyBirthdayKingKohli pic.twitter.com/bjhAaf6Uee

— Zeeshan 🇵🇰 (@Shani_7800) November 5, 2023