Asia Cup 2022, India vs Sri Lanka: From bowling pace to shedding fat, Maheesh Theekshana has seen it all

Sri Lanka's first blow when he deceived KL Rahul, yorking the opener in front of the stumps in the second over of the match. Theekshana's unconventional brand of off-spin is the talk of the town. Interestingly, had it not been for a hamstring injury, he would have been a fast bowler.

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Defending champions India went perilously close to elimination after a 6-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in their super four stage match of the Asia Cup. The result left the Men in Blue at the mercy of the other teams to have a chance of making it to the final. It also meant that India skipper Rohit

"I was a fast bowler when I started my career. I got injured at the age of 13. It was a bad hamstring injury," Theeksana told TOI on the sidelines of Sri Lanka's practice session. Forced to make a big decision just when he had become a teenager, Theekshana decided to bowl spin to avoid serious injuries. "At that time, I watched how Ajantha Mendis was bowling. I started looking up to him," he said. It's not a surprise that the 22-year-old's action seems modelled on Mendis. The injury wasn't the only hurdle in his career. Theekshana was part of Sri Lanka's U-19 team in 2016-17, but was discarded on fitness grounds. "In Sri Lanka we have certain fitness levels. We have to maintain that. I was very fat," he said with a straight face. How fat? "I had to lose 27 kg. It took me five-six months," he said. "I got myself fit and ready in 2019. Then I played one practice match for Sri Lanka 'A' against Ireland. I got a chance in the Lankan Premier League (LPL). I played my first LPL match in Dec 2020. "Then I got a chance to