Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana has emerged as the find of the season in the ongoing IPL 2022. Although, CSK didn’t had a very good season in all departments. But, Theekshana has done a great job with the ball taking 12 wickets in 7 games. Now, the star player has come up shedding light on his cricketing career.
Theekshana was picked by defending champions at a price of INR 70 Lakhs in the mega-auction. The new rising star from CSK’s dugout didn’t have a go-to cricket career with the ball. The Sri Lankan spinner struggled with severe health issues in his early days.
Maheesh Theekshana speaks about his Under-19 Struggle
Maheesh Theekshana said that he was weighing around 117 kg during his Under-19 cricket days. The spinner mentioned that he had to work out hard in order to gain perfect match fitness in order to clear the “yo-yo” test.
“I was 117 kg at that time (U-19 days), so I had to work harder to get my weight and skin folds down in the yo-yo test. In 2020, I got everything down and brought my fitness to the (required) level. I started to do more hard work on my body,” Theekshana said in a video uploaded on CSK’s Twitter handle.
The spinner also mentioned that he had a chat with the former Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis followed by a conversation with MS Dhoni in 2022 with MS Dhoni. As per him, the discussion with such legends of the game boosted his confidence and he knew one day he is going to make it up into the team in different formats on the back of his bowling skills.
“In 2020, I had a chat with Ajantha Mendis, and in 2022, I spoke to MS Dhoni. I was with CSK last year as a net bowler. Never thought they would bid for me or pick me this year,” he added. Theekshana also revealed that he often had to warm the benches during his U-19 days due to his weight issues. However, he kept his self-belief intact.
“In 2017-18, I was in the U-19 squad, but I did not get a chance to play because I failed fitness tests a few times. In 2019, I had to be a water boy for 10 games in three-day matches. So I knew that if I failed, I would have to carry the water bottles again. But I kept believing in myself and had that never-say-die attitude. That’s why I am here in 2022,” said Theekshana.
Read More:
CCMH vs MAC Dream11 Prediction, Match 14, Team By Expert St Lucia T10 Blast, May 13, 2022
WAS vs NOR Dream11 Prediction Match, Team By Expert, England County Championship, 12 MAY 2022
