Watch: Uncapped Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, who has previously grabbed the headlines for his super-slingy action, got the better of Shubman Gill with the first ball of his IPL debut.
The dismissal occurred on the first ball of the eighth over during the IPL 2022 game between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans. Pathirana, who has been dubbed ‘Baby Malinga’, fired a full delivery on middle and leg stump. Gill tried to work it into the leg side but was awfully late on the stroke. The ball then snuck past his inside edge before smashing into the front pad. Pathirana instantly went up in appeal and to his delight, the umpire raised his finger. The Gujarat Titans opener reviewed the decision but it was to no avail.
Mpumelelo Mbangwa, who was on commentary, exclaimed: “They said he is a young Malinga. Just like Malinga, he is on target. Get your foot out of the way.” Later in the innings, Pathirana outfoxed Hardik Pandya with a clever variation, finishing his debut outing with two scalps. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to spark a turnaround for the Chennai Super Kings as they fell to a seven-wicket defeat.
Pathirana was retained by CSK for the 2023 IPL season, and made his first appearance against RCB at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
