‘Mendis banega ye’ – Fans laud Dunith Wellalage for five-wicket haul against India in Super Fours clash

Fans were expecting another batting dominance from India when they took on Sri Lanka in the Super Fours of the 2023 Asia Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The top-order that tore apart the fiery Pakistan bowling unit, however, failed to shine on Tuesday, as the Sri Lankan spinners were on the money throughout India’s batting innings and it was youngster Dunith Wellalage the wreaker-in-chief.

Opting to bat first, Rohit Sharma and Shbman Gill once again provided a good start for India. The Indian skipper was on fire as the duo registered their third consecutive half-century partnership in the tournament. However, Sri Lankan youngster Dunith Wellalage broke their 80-run partnership when he dismissed Gill with a stunning delivery on his very first ball of the innings.

While India dominated till the 12th over, the rest belonged to the Lankan spinners, who never allowed any of the Indian batters to find any resistance. In his very next over, Wellalage silenced the Indian audience by picking up the wicket of batting stalwart Virat Kohli. The last-match centurion went for a flick, but he could not time well the short-pitched delivery, that stuck on the surface and eventually ended up in the hands of the mid-wicket fielder.

My dream wicket was Kohli’s wicket: Wellalage 

Rohit was looking good with his third successive fifty, but Wellalage provided another breakthrough by dismissing India’s top scorer (53 off 48 balls) in his next over. The ball didn’t bounce as Rohit had expected and he stayed back to attack it but the ball scooted through and beat the bat to knock over the leg-stump.

The left-arm pacer continued his onslaught as he removed KL Rahul and vice-captain Hardik Pandya to claim his maiden ODI fifer. Wellalage was well supported by Charith Asalanka, who dismissed Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, to help Sri Lanka restrict India to 213/10.

Speaking after the first innings, Wellalage said: “I want to thank my coaches and management, especially my spin bowling coach. I tried to bowl my normal variations and not give runs. My dream wicket was Kohli’s wicket. The surface is uneven and it is not easy but we have a good batting line-up, we will give a good fight.”

Here’s how fans reacted to Dunith Wellalage’s stunning performance against India in the Super Fours: