CT 2017, Match 8, Sri Lanka v India: CT Player of the Match - Kusal Mendis

Not many would have given Sri Lanka a chance before the start of their game against defending champions India, especially after a lacklustre match against the Proteas. However, the Lankans scripted a famous win at a famous stadium, thus registering their highest successful run-chase in a CT game and the joint highest for the team.

The trombones and trumpets were blaring away from the stands all through the game, eventually reaching a crescendo which signalled an emphatic victory for Sri Lanka over the usually clinical Indians. Amidst all the noise and music that reverberated at The Oval, one man silently took his team forward to keep Sri Lanka afloat in the ICC Champions Trophy. Young Kusal Mendis was the star that shone for the Islanders in a must-win game. His 89 off 93 came at a crucial stage for Sri Lanka. Mendis’ match-winning knock eclipsed Shikhar Dhawan’s glorious hundred in the first innings.

Along with typical English rains that have hampered many a game, 300+ scores have become the norm in this edition of the Champions Trophy. However, few teams have been able to chase them down successfully. Sri Lanka were certainly not favourites at the halfway mark after India had posted a sizable total of 321.

The Lankans didn’t get off to the best of starts, as India’s pacers had a tight grip over the openers. After four and a half overs, Sri Lanka had managed only 11. To make things worse, they lost Niroshan Dickwella, who had crawled to 7 off 18. In retrospect, his dismissal was a blessing in disguise as far as Sri Lankan fans are concerned, as it brought Kusal Mendis to the crease.

Kusal Mendis comes to the rescue

22-year old Mendis then stitched an almost unfaltering partnership of 159 runs with Danushka Gunathilaka, which not only put off Virat Kohli and his bowlers but more importantly allowed the Lankans to claw back into the game. He matched Gunathilaka shot for shot, and the duo looked solid as a rock out in the middle.

Mendis lived to tell the tale as Hardik Pandya missed a tough return catch while he was on 24. However, the youngster made the most of Pandya’s mistake and ensured Sri Lanka faced no further hiccups en route an eventual victory.

Mendis accelerates

Kusal Mendis didn’t begin his innings with the flamboyance with which he ended it. There was a point when Mendis was on 25 off 39 deliveries. However, he put the foot on the pedal post his fifty, having got to the milestone with an excellent flick for six off Ravindra Jadeja. Hardik was once again reminded of his spilled catch as he went for three consecutive boundaries in the 26th over. Mendis had had now clearly shifted gears.

A run out was the only way Mendis and Gunathilaka could be separated – a needless second run cost the latter his wicket. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old carried on. He kept the scoreboard ticking along with the new man Kusal Perera and ensured that Sri Lanka were never too far behind the asking rate. Mendis had scored quickly after his fifty to get to 89 when yet another run-out stalled Sri Lanka.

Some smart batting from Asela Gunaratne, who seems to be tailor-made for tight situations as these, and a reliable knock by the captain Angelo Mathews meant Sri Lanka were comfortably home with 8 balls to spare. Essentially, their authoritative victory has set up two quarter-finals in Group B, which means Sri Lanka are very much in for a chance to make the semi-finals.

While the Lankans celebrate what will go down as a historic win – not for its momentous occasion or the fact that it was in a final of a tournament, but simply because of the way they gunned down 322 against a reasonably strong Indian bowling line-up – they will look back at this game as a confidence booster for the remainder of the tournament.

Young Kusal Mendis’ brilliantly paced innings will stand out as the brightest spot for the Lankans in this victory. His sheer confidence and sensible acceleration were exemplary, to say the least. He is CricTracker’s player of the match.