Star cricketer Shreyas Iyer produced a spectacular direct hit to run Kamindu Mendis out of the game in the first innings of the second One-Day International (ODI) between India and Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
After winning the toss, the hosts elected to bat first. Thanks to Kamindu Mendis, who replaced Mohamed Shiraz, they were able to show signs of life despite a rough start. Mendis, who batted at number eight, had a significant innings, finishing joint top of the innings with forty runs, and he forged an important alliance with Dunith Wellalage to enable Sri Lanka surpass the 200-run milestone.
Kamindu Mendis remained at the crease as Sri Lanka’s innings’ last over drew near, trying to raise the team’s total.
He misplayed his pull shot effort from Arshdeep Singh’s bowling on the penultimate delivery of the innings, throwing the ball towards deep mid-wicket, where Iyer was positioned.
Mendis took off for a double, trying to sprint fast. Still, he hadn’t taken into consideration Iyer’s extraordinary fielding abilities. Iyer caught the ball quickly and threw it powerfully straight at the stumps, even though he was unable to catch it on the full.
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Shreyas Iyer showcasing his brilliance on the field 👌
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Mendis was caught considerably short of his ground by Iyer’s accurate ball, which he was aiming for a single stump from a long distance. Not even trying to dive or slide his bat, the Sri Lankan batsman was taken aback by the magnificent throw that came from such a distance.
His image as a gun fielder was further cemented when, in a Test match in Vizag earlier in the year, he produced a similar direct hit to eliminate England’s captain Ben Stokes.
Also Read: Abhishek Nayar on India’s shocking collapse vs Sri Lanka: “In these conditions, the game can turn on its head.”
Iyer had a fantastic day with the bat, but he left the pitch after scoring seven runs off just nine deliveries, so his bat didn’t get much of a chance to speak. The middle of the game saw the Men in Blue’s batting collapse, which ultimately cost them the match as they lost for the first time in the series by 32 runs.
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