Who is Maheesh Theekshana? Know all about Sri Lanka's new 'Ajantha Mendis'

Sri Lankan mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana is the latest sensation in the cricketing world, following his clinical performance for the team in the T20 World Cup 2021. 21-year-old Theekshana has dismissed a total of eight batters till now for Sri Lanka in the tournament and is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament following Bangladeshi allrounder Shakib Al Hassan. His mystery spin bowling has earned him the tag of the cricketing world’s new Ajantha Mendis.

He accounted for three wickets each during Sri Lanka’s matches against Namibia and Ireland, and in Sri Lanka vs Netherlands match on Friday, he dismissed two more batters to reach the total of eight wickets so far in the T20 World Cup. Theekshana made his international debut for Sri Lanka in the ODI series during South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka on September 7 and dismissed Proteas batter, Janneman Malan, on his very first delivery in international cricket. Three days later, he made his T20I debut and returned with the figures of 35/1 in four wickets.

He was selected in the Sri Lankan squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, and he has justified his selection with some fabulous bowling figures in the tournament. In the three matches till now in the tournament, he has returned with the figures of 3/25, 3/17, and 2/3 respectively. His bowling effort added with the team’s all-round performance earned Sri Lanka their place on the Super-12 stage of the T20 World Cup which begins on October 23. 

Netizens say Maheesh Theekshana is the new Ajantha Mendis

Meanwhile, after Sri Lanka defeated Namibia in their first match of the tournament, praising Theeksana in the post-match press conference, the Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka said, “He's been outstanding (Theekshana). Back home he's been training with Ajantha Mendis. Has a lot more to offer”. On witnessing Theeksana’s impressive bowling performances in the World Cup, cricket fans around the world were elated and took on to social media website Twitter, to express their thoughts, and compare him to Sri Lanka’s former mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis. 

A user pointed out the fact that Theekshana weighed 108 kg, three years ago and now he is down to 78 kg. He hailed the spinner’s transformation and predicted that he will take many more wickets further ahead in the tournament. At the same time, many other users compared Theesana to the legendary Sri Lankan spinner Mendis. 

(Image: t20worldcup.com)