Hype over Mendis

[Guest Hiten.]

This is really getting ridiculous now. Mendis deserves all the praises and accolades for his performance in Asia cup final, but articles/comments like "..ready to become the new star-turn" is an unnecessary added pressure on the new bloke. Mendis has just started breathing in cricketing arena. Let the man actually get comfortable against all the cricketing teams then assess him and then shower your praises. It's not doubt this guy is immensely talented but at this point all the cricketing pundits should reserve their comments about Mendis.

[Holysmoke]

Good, put more and more pressure on him.

[DomainK]

These are mind games before the series starts. It worked for them last time, they are trying it again.

[Desi Cartman]

These are mind games before the series starts. It worked for them last time' date=' they are trying it again.[/quote'] :dito:

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Spin guru Jenner points out chink in Mendis' armour Ajantha Mendis might have created flutter in cricketing circles with his stupendous performance in the Asia Cup, but the Sri Lankan mystery bowler has failed to impress spin guru Terry Jenner, who has pointed out at chinks in his armour. Jenner feels Mendis lacks variety and still has a long way to go to prove his mettle in the international circuit. More... Spin guru Jenner points out chink in Mendis' armour July 21, 2008 14:20 IST Ajantha Mendis might have created flutter in cricketing circles with his stupendous performance in the Asia Cup, but the Sri Lankan mystery bowler has failed to impress spin guru Terry Jenner, who has pointed out at chinks in his armour. Jenner, who is credited with grooming Australian spin legend Shane Warne [images], is surprised to learn that the freaky Sri Lankan spinner does not have a stock ball in his kitty. "Mendis needs to develop the stock ball which is very essential for leg break bowlers. When I heard that he doesn't have stock ball, I was amazed," said the Australian great, who is in New Delhi to oversee a bowlers' camp. "World's best spinners have great stock ball. Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] was one of them. As a coach, we need to teach basics not magic deliveries," he added. Jenner feels Mendis lacks variety and still has a long way to go to prove his mettle in the international circuit. "What he is doing has been done before by bowlers like John Gleeson. He is a good bowler but I am doubtful about his success in Australian and South African pitches. He does not have variety in his bowling," Jenner said. "His carrom ball is not unique, what is unique is his pace. His sudden rise in popularity is because of the fact that most of the world's best spinners have either finished their career or in the twilight of their career. "In Mendis, people are trying to find out Warne, [Anil] Kumble, Muralitharan but by doing so they are putting too much pressure on him," Jenner said. Jenner said young Indian spinner Piyush Chawla [images] has a great potential to be the "next best thing in the world of spin" if he develops leg-break. "Don't write off Chawla. He can be the next best thing in the world of spin bowling but the same issue, he too lacks variety. His wrong ones are very deceptive but he can't bowl two to three wrong ones in an over in Test cricket," he asserted. "He [Chawla] needs to develop his leg break to be successful in Test cricket." The Australian also said India Test skipper Kumble has come of age since he first met him in 2003. "He [Kumble] has done really well in the last couple of years. There's a lot of difference between now and when I met him first in 2003. That time, his job was to contain batsmen, but now he is bowling with the aim of picking wickets. "I had advised him to change the sequence of his deliveries as he has only three to four balls in his armour and it helped him a lot. "Both Warne and Kumble's heart are bigger than their bodies."

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Concentrate on his wrist: Viswanath Unlocking the Mendis code on Sri Lankan pitches will not be difficult for Indian batsmen if they concentrate on his wrist movement, feels GR Viswanath. More... Concentrate on his wrist: Viswanath Press Trust Of India New Delhi, July 21, 2008 First Published: 17:39 IST(21/7/2008) Last Updated: 18:04 IST(21/7/2008) Unlocking the Ajantha Mendis code on Sri Lankan pitches will not be difficult for Indian batsmen if they concentrate on his wrist movement, feels Test great Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath. Having excelled against Australian John Gleeson -- another mystery spinner who flummoxed batsmen with his odd grip -- in his 1969-70 debut series where he came up with a second innings century in his maiden appearance, Viswanath said taking on Mendis in the upcoming Test series won't be difficult once the Indian batsmen carefully observe his wrist movement. "You've got to pick him (Mendis) up at the time of delivery. Our batsmen need to observe Mendis's wrist and finger movements at the time of delivery...Then he'll become easier to negotiate," the 59-year-old said on the sidelines of a Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) function last night. Recollecting his famous debut against the Australians in the November, 1969 Kanpur Test where he scored a first innings duck before coming up with an exquisite 137 in the second innings, Viswanath said, "I had heard a lot of things about (John) Gleeson...That he's very tough and difficult to play against before going in to bat in my first Test. But in the first innings, I didn't get to face him as I I got out to (Allan) Connoly.

[cowboysfan]

good article.mendis needs a stock delivery.bowling 6 different balls in one over in test cricket will not work.bowling 5 off-spinners and a doosra will (or 5 leg breaks and a top spinner or googly).

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‘Don’t expect much from Mendis’ The one question everyone wants Mahela Jayawardene to answer is whether Ajantha Mendis will make his debut on Wednesday, but the Lankan captain refuses to commit, reports Anand Vasu. More... ‘Don’t expect much from Mendis’ Anand Vasu , Hindustan Times Colombo, July 22, 2008 First Published: 23:22 IST(22/7/2008) Last Updated: 23:30 IST(22/7/2008) The one question everyone wanted Mahela Jayawardene to answer was whether Ajantha Mendis would make his debut on Wednesday, but the Sri Lankan captain refused to commit. “We can’t control the hype that has been built up,” he said. “It’s good to have him, but we still haven’t finalised our eleven because of the conditions, it has been overcast. “But it’s good for him if he makes his debut. It will be a great opportunity for a young guy who has come from humble beginnings. It is a luxury for him to have Murali and Vaasi around him because they are going to take the bulk of the responsibility. What we want him to do is go out and enjoy. There are a lot of expectations of him from a lot of people but from the team’s point of view, there are hardly any.” Jayawardene was not about to take the Indian team lightly. “They are a very strong team. They have quality batsmen, their record speaks for itself. They have four or five of the most experienced players in the world. It is going to be a good challenge for us.” As for the conditions, the type that Jayawardene and his friends have revelled in over the last few years, the Sri Lankan captain said, “The last few times the pitch has been quite flat, but we need to take the initiative in the first few days. That’s where the Test match will be won or lost. It is important that the first couple of days, we start strong. The SSC has been a very good Test wicket. There is something for the fast bowlers, it is a very good batting track and the spinners will come into play as well.”

[flamy]

He will take 1000 wickets. :yay: I'm a Mendis fan. :isalute:

[fineleg]

Mendis needs to be dismantled. Hate him.

[Shane]

Play Mendis like Medium-Pacer, use your feet against him

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Mendis can get 500 wickets says Bedi Former India spin great Bishan Bedi says Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis has the potential to claim 500 career wickets, and is excited by the way the baffling bowler has invigorated the art of spin. Full Coverage: Mission Sri Lanka More... Mendis can get 500 wickets says Bedi Sandeep Nakai, Associated Press New Delhi, August 22, 2008 First Published: 12:01 IST(22/8/2008) Last Updated: 15:42 IST(22/8/2008) Former India spin great Bishan Bedi says Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis has the potential to claim 500 career wickets, and is excited by the way the baffling bowler has invigorated the art of spin. Bedi said Mendis "is a delight to watch", even though the Sri Lankan newcomer's success had come at the expense of Bedi's native India in the current tour. "His variation seems unreal, he could snare 500 wickets by the time people are able to figure him out," Bedi said. "There are few quality spinners on the horizon, and I'm a great admirer of the spinning craft exhibited by Mendis." Mendis, 23, has the beguiling and rare ability to deliver both off-breaks and leg-breaks with little change to his action, forcing batsmen to guess which way the ball would turn. In the recent test series, Mendis claimed 26 scalps to break the long-standing world record for the most wickets in a debut three-test series and lead Sri Lanka to a 2-1 series victory. He has continued that form in the ongoing one-day series, claiming five wickets in the opening two games to take his tally to 25 wickets in 10 games. "He's not looking for dot balls, he's looking for a wicket with every delivery," said Bedi, who took a then Indian record of 266 wickets from 67 tests. "The way he bamboozled India's batsmen in the tests was amazing." Bedi's celebration of Mendis came in marked contrast to the his regular strong criticism of Sri Lanka's test world-record wicket taker Muttiah Muralitharan, whom he had often accused of "chucking" by bending his arm in the bowling action. Teaming up with Muralitharan, test rookie Mendis had confounded Indian batsmen of the caliber of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly. Former India captain Ajit Wadekar said Mendis' destruction of the much-vaunted Indian batting lineup demonstrated that even the world's top batsmen were losing the ability to play top spinners due to underexposure to the longer form of the game. "The Indian batsmen have come across a pair of top class spinners after a long time," said Wadekar. "They'll have to concentrate more and plan better to save themselves from embarrassment. "It amazes me why the Indian batsmen are trying to read Mendis by the length of his deliveries. They ought to be watching the bowler's wrist and fingers, but our batsmen are trying to reach the pitch of the ball." Asked why India's batsmen had faltered so badly despite having a reputation for being adept to playing spin, Bedi said "it's probably because they haven't played against quality spinners over a long duration." "Any way, how many of these Indian test players regularly play domestic cricket?" Bedi also sensed a lack of commitment among India's veterans, saying it appeared "a lot of the Indian players have had their fill." "The fire in the belly seems to be diminishing and that's a dangerous sign," he said. Wadekar claimed India did not prepare properly ahead of the tour, blaming the increasing amount of Twenty20 cricket for robbing the players of sufficient rest and an opportunity to rejig their technique for test and 50-over play. "The arrival of Twenty20 cricket in a big way has surely diverted the players' attention," said Wadekar. "Also, they had little time to prepare for the test series and that led to the dismal performance." Bedi echoed the assertion, saying the crowded itinerary and simplicity of Twenty20 cricket was undermining the team. "Twenty20 doesn't need much commitment. You've got to bat for a short duration and you just need to bowl four overs," said Bedi. "But the problem is the burnout caused by the surfeit of matches played during the summer months."

[Sachinism]

no sh!t Einstein

[bharat297]

500? Thats like 300 test and 200 ODI ... By the standards set by the likes of Wasim, Walsh, McGrath, Murali, Warne, Kumble ... thats not much ... Id be insulted if I were Mendis ... LOL

[DadaRocks]

Mendis will get 500 in each form of game....half of them will be against India.

[Desi Cartman]

Mendis will get 500 in each form of game....half of them will be against India.

yep cuz SL will also refuse to play in pak :finger:

[Shane]

Once he gets sorted out, it remains to be seen whether then he can respond

[SachDan]

Once he gets sorted out' date=' it remains to be seen whether then he can respond[/quote'] Who'll sort him out?atleast for a while.... we are supposedly the players of spin...still had lots n lots of problems against him. can't see England,South Africa or New Zealand milking him..Least said the better abt other two sides from Asia. Mendis vs Australian batsmen will be fun watching.

[Guest dada_rocks]

Who'll sort him out?atleast for a while.... we are supposedly the players of spin...still had lots n lots of problems against him. can't see England,South Africa or New Zealand milking him..Least said the better abt other two sides from Asia. Mendis vs Australian batsmen will be fun watching.

Sehwag Gambhir Kohli Badri to a large extent sorted him out......

[satishg]

Who'll sort him out?atleast for a while.... we are supposedly the players of spin...still had lots n lots of problems against him. can't see England,South Africa or New Zealand milking him..Least said the better abt other two sides from Asia. Mendis vs Australian batsmen will be fun watching.

wat do u mean who will sort him out..as DR pointed out Viru and Gambhir were comfortable against him..and how cud u forget Sachin..shame on u dan :whatchutalkingabout..being a sachin fan cudnt u see that he was really comfortable against mendis except for the last innings where he was injured..prior to that he had scored with a SR of 90 against mendis i mean he faced only 57 balls but he scored 52..so Sachin did sort him out as well..Dan i never expected this frm u