Picture Credit: X
Kamindu Mendis, the Sri Lanka n all-rounder, was seen bowling from both arms during the first T20I at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele, which the Indian cricket team won with a 43-run margin. The rare display of ambidextrous bowling from the Sri Lankan spinner left the fans amazed on the social media platform X.
During the first T20I, Kamindu Mendis bowled left-handed against the Indian captain, Suryakumar Yadav, before switching to bowling right-handed versus Rishabh Pant. Although the Sri Lankan bowled only one over in the match, giving away nine runs, he made a lasting impression on the cricket fans, especially the Indian ones.
With the help of the power-packed start from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill in the powerplay, followed by a partnership between Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav, India posted a massive total of 213 runs on the board at the loss of seven wickets. Suryakumar Yadav top scored for India with 58 off 26, while Matheesha Pathirana picked up four wickets, but conceded runs at 10 rpo.
In the run chase, Sri Lanka were in a commanding position at one stage with the scorecard reading 140/1, but their batting lineup fell away drastically before getting bundled out for 170. Pathum Nissanka top scored for Sri Lanka with 79 off 48, while Riyan Parag picked up the most wickets for India, three in total, to clean up the tail of the opposition.
Here are some of the fan reactions on X on Kamindu Mendis bowling from both arms during Sri Lanka versus India first T20I:
