Ajantha Mendis’ moment of glory

Elmo RODRIGOPULLE

Ajantha Mendis, the mysterious spinning sensation who had shown his spinning prowess in the limited over game, and who was thrust into Test cricket which is a different ball game and what the game is all about, adjusted himself beautifully.

He did not seem to be overawed when Jayawardena tossed the ball to him in the 11th over with the ball still having its shine. Mendis did not show the usual jitters or the twitchy fingers as he bowled like veteran.

Overpitching he was cartered by Gautam Gambhir for a few boundaries. But that did not deter him.He was bowling to Gambhir and “the wall” Rahul Dravid one of the best batsmen going in world cricket today.

When interviewed, Dravid said he was not worried of Mendis, but their woory was Muralitheran, Vaas and the steamy hot weather.

But Mendis had the last laugh. In his 25th delivery of his Test career, he knocked back Dravid”s off stump with a peach of a delivery.

The ball pitched, Dravid was flummoxed, beaten and bowled and Dravid was walking back in disbelief and like a ghostly figure, unable to come to terms as to what hit him.

Dravid was looking for the turn. But the ball pitched on a good length and skidded through to breach his defence and rattle his timber. It was a dream delivery from Mendis and did he not do the jig and jubilate.

His team mates rallied round him, hugged and kissed him and kept patting him till the next batsman Sourav Ganguly walked in.

Dravid”s wicket is something that Mendis will treasure for the rest of his career, and a scalp that he will tell his children, his grandchildren and god willing his great grand children of and how he bowled that mother of all deliveries.

Dravid would not have faced a delivery like that which not only bamboozled him. It also did the umpire Billy Doctrove,the fielders, and also the mediamen who could not believe their eyes.

Well done Ajantha Mendis.