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Sri Lankan fast bowler Asitha Fernando made headlines after dismissing Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav in the third T20I of the series at Pallekele on Tuesday, July 30. Yadav, who had been in excellent form, was dismissed after scoring just eight runs from nine balls.
Suryakumar Yadav’s dismissal
Suryakumar’s wicket fell in the sixth over of India’s innings. Attempting his signature sweep shot off Fernando’s delivery, he connected well but unfortunately hit it straight to Wanindu Hasaranga, who was strategically positioned on the boundary for that shot.
Asitha Fernando’s WWE-inspired celebration
Following the dismissal, Fernando celebrated exuberantly by performing the iconic crotch chop gesture, popularized by WWE’s D-Generation X. Notably, DX, a famous American professional wrestling faction, included prominent members such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, X-Pac, and the New Age Outlaws. Fernando’s celebration quickly went viral, capturing the attention of both cricket and wrestling fans.
Here is the video:
— hiri_azam (@HiriAzam) July 30, 2024
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Suryakumar lavishes praise on his team for staging an excellent comeback
After posting a modest 137/9 in their 20 overs, India appeared to be out of the contest, particularly given the strong start by the Islanders in their chase. Sri Lanka were comfortably placed at 110/2 at one point, seemingly cruising towards an easy victory. However, the Indian bowlers orchestrated a remarkable comeback, ultimately restricting Sri Lanka to 137/8 and forcing a Super Over. In the Super Over, the hosts managed to score only 2 runs, and India clinched the win on the first ball when Suryakumar hit a boundary.
Following the game, Suryakumar emphasized the importance of resilience and team spirit by highlighting how the players showed character during challenging situations when the team was struggling at 30/4 and 48/5. He believed that a score of 140 was achievable on that pitch and motivated the team by sharing his confidence in their ability to win if they played with heart for the remaining time. Surya underscored the need to embrace difficult moments just as much as high-scoring successes to maintain balance and humility. He praised the team’s skill, self-confidence, and positivity, both on the field and in the dressing room, which made his role as captain easier and fostered a supportive environment.
“More than the last over, I feel when we were around 30/4 and 48/5, how the boys showed character in the middle and took the game away from them … I felt 140 was a par score on that track. When we were going in during fielding session I told them, ‘I have seen such kind of games. If we put our heart in for one and a half hours, we can pull it off.’ If you are enjoying hitting 200-220s and winning games, you should enjoy 30/4 and 70/5 as well because that creates balance in your life and that’s how you move on and just be humble. The amount of skill they have, self confidence what they bring into the table, it makes my job very easy. The positivity they have on the ground and in the dressing room, the care for each other what they show is unbelievable,” said Suryakumar in the post-match ceremony.
