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'Since The Small Age..,' Wellalage On His Mindset After Brilliant Performance vs IND

image-lmgmdtc5Dunith Wellalage (Source: AP Newsroom)

Very rarely in cricket has somebody won the player of the match after their incredible performance couldn't save their team from a loss, and something similar happened in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2023 in the match between India and Sri Lanka. All-rounder Dunith Wellalage did everything in his power to take the home side to victory, but eventually, Sri Lanka fell short by 41 runs in a thriller.

Opting to bat first, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma attacked the bowlers right from the start and managed to score another half-century, however, when Wellalage came into the attack, wickets fell like a pack of cards as the left-arm spinner recorded figures of 5/40 in his ten overs. Supported well by Charith Asalanka from the other end, India were bowled out for just 213 inside 50 overs.

Chasing 214, Sri Lanka were under tremendous pressure in between their innings as they were 99/6 at one stage, but a solid partnership between Dhananjaya de Silva and Wellalage took them to 162, after which the remaining wickets fell quickly, getting them bowled out for 172. Astonishingly, Dunith remained unbeaten on the score of 42 from 46 balls, which didn't prove enough in the end.

Later, he was awarded player of the match award for his magnificent performance, where he congratulated the Men in Blue for victory and praised Kuldeep Yadav for his spell. Adding to it, he believes that they can make it to the final by winning their next game. Also, the 20-year-old youngster appreciated his teammates and support staff for constantly being behind him.

"Yeah, first of all, I want to congratulate the Indian team. They have a strong line-up and class players. Unfortunately, we lost the game today. But we still have one more game to play and win to get to the final. Kuldeep Yadav is a great bowler. I tried to play my normal game and stay positive. Since the small age, I have worked very hard and stayed positive. I want to thank all of my support staff and teammates for the support."

After this loss, Sri Lanka's next challenge will be Pakistan, whom they will face on 14th of September at Colombo only, which would decide their fate in this tournament.