Mendis was let off in the very first ball he faced and duly took advantage, going on to score 166 runs as the Lankans ended the day on a resounding 321/4 in 88 overs.
“I may have played a false stroke the first ball I faced. I play that way naturally. After I played that shot, I got a second opportunity to do justice to my team. I took that advantage. I provided the team what they required from me,” Mendis told the media in the post-day press conference.
“They (Bangladesh) bowled very well in the first two sessions. They had a plan and stuck to it. That’s why we couldn’t score too many runs in the first one and a half sessions. Dimuth [Karunaratne] spoke to me a lot after I played that first shot. He told me to leave the balls you cannot play. Asela [Gunaratne] also told me the same.
“Everyone who came to the wicket spoke to me. Initially it was difficult to go for runs. Later on (it became easy) because we had wickets in hand. We went for the runs,” he said.
Whereas Bangladesh played three pacers in their starting XI, the Lankans picked as many spinners. Regarding this decision, Mendis said, “It is a batsman-oriented wicket so it is not surprising that we are playing three spinners and they are playing three fast bowlers. Against Australia (last year), the wicket turned a lot but batting on this wicket is easy.
“So it is essential to play an additional bowler for either side because if two batsmen get set, the bowlers won’t have too much pressure. It’s not a big issue playing an extra bowler.”
Friday, March 21, 2025
