"I am inspired by Ajantha Mendis" - Chennai Super Kings spinner Maheesh Theekshana
Sri Lanka and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spinner Maheesh Theekshana has termed Ajantha Mendis as his “inspiration”. Mendis coaches the Army Cricket Team in Sri Lanka and shared valuable inputs with the youngster when Theekshana played for the same team.
Himself a mystery spinner during his playing days, Mendis represented Sri Lanka in 19 Tests, 87 ODIs and 30 T20Is, claiming 288 international scalps. He still holds the record for being the fastest bowler to claim 50 wickets in One-Day Internationals (19 matches).
In a video shared on CSK’s official YouTube channel, Theekshana described himself as lucky as he got to interact with Mendis for a few years and is now working with the legendary MS Dhoni as part of the Chennai franchise. He said:
“I am inspired by Ajantha Mendis because he was my coach. In the last two or three years, I got to chat a lot with Ajantha Mendis. And, in 2022, I had a chat with MS (Dhoni).”
The 21-year-old Sri Lankan spinner has had an impressive IPL 2022 campaign for CSK so far. In eight matches, he has claimed 12 scalps at an average of 19.75 and an economy rate of 7.41.
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“Never thought they would pick me this year” - Maheesh Theekshana on CSK purchasing him
The young Sri Lankan spinner was part of the Chennai contingent as a net bowler last season. But he candidly admitted that he did not think he would get picked at the auction by the franchise. Theekshana stated:
“I had a stint with CSK last year also as a net bowler. Never thought they would pick me this year.”
These are still early days in the cricketer’s career. Having made his international debut in September 2021, the mystery spinner has represented Sri Lanka in 4 ODIs and 15 T20Is. He has played a total of 56 T20 games, in which he has claimed 63 scalps.
Asked about his outlook towards the game, Theekshana signed off by saying:
“I am always trying to get more focused on my game. I have faith in myself. I am always trying to do what I can do. I always follow my strengths. Dreams do come true.”
@ChennaiIPL Mahesh Theekshana against RCB in IPL:-
4-0-33-4
4-0-27-3 https://t.co/VKgBfXY59y
Last year, Theekshana was part of Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup squad. He had an impressive tournament, in which he picked up eight wickets in seven matches at an average of 17.12 and an economy rate of 5.48.