Sri Lanka was handed a 41-run defeat by a formidable Indian team, ending their undefeated run of 13 matches. However, the loss was not before putting up a gritty fight with bat and ball. The charge was led by 20-year-old Dunith Wellalage, whose all-round performance earned him the man of the match award. Dunith Wellalage ran through India’s batting order with a 5-wicket haul and returned to give Rohit Sharma a scare with the bat.
The performance of the youngster Wellalage would be a big positive for Sri Lanka heading into the World Cup, while also posing a tricky question of selections once Wanindu Hasaranga returns from injury. Dunith Wellalage’s left-arm finger spin troubled the Indian batters on a tricky surface, as he finished with figures of 5-40 in his 10 overs. Former Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga was deeply impressed by the youngster and showered praises on him.
It’s fair to say that SL played with 12 players today. That’s how good Dunith Wellalage was – Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga’s tweet after the match was highly praiseful of Dunith Wellalage’s all-round performance, as he also remained unbeaten on 42 off 46 deliveries and ran out of partners at the end. Dunith Wellalage stitched a crucial partnership of 63 runs for the 7th wicket with Dhananjaya de Silva before the latter was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja.
Lasith Malinga predicted Dunith Wellalage to have a promising future ahead, as he showed maturity beyond his age while weathering the Indian bowling attack. He was caught at the non-striker’s end, while the tail was bundled out by the Indians, as it happens often with number-8 batsmen.
“It’s fair to say that SL played with 12 players today. That’s how good Dunith was,” Malinga wrote. “He’s got a brilliant head on his young shoulders to go with his all-round skill set. I believe he’s on his way to becoming the most important player for SL in ODIs for the next decade” said Lasith Malinga.
Dunith Wellalage made a name for themselves in last year’s Under-19 World Cup, as he became the leading wicket-taker of the tournament scalping 17 wickets at an average of 13.58. The youngster’s performance against India proved his mettle, despite playing only 12 ODIs before this. The abilities of Wellalage could come to Sri Lanka’s aid in the World Cup to be held in India, which usually paid spinners.
The 20-year-old impressed several other big names including Waqar Younis, R Ashwin, and Irfan Pathan who all took to social media to praise the youngster.