Theekshana has been a consistent performer for the Lankan national side
August 1 marks the birthday of Maheesh Theekshana, the Chennai Super King's Sri Lankan spinner, who has been a consistent performer for the Lankan national side since 2021. In recent years, Theekshana has gained the limelight for his bowling efforts, thanks to a Sri Lankan bowling veteran who recognised his sorcery with the ball and chiselled him into a gem. However, a wee bit of credit must also be given to our "Thala" MS Dhoni, who made an unusual demand from the Lankan Sergeant.
Known for spinning balls over 100 kilometres per hour, Theekshana's bowling action resembles AjanthaMendis, Sri Lanka's former bowler who happened to be Theekshana's mentor at the Sri Lanka Army Sports Club.
Theekshana earned his call to the national side in 2021, having made his debut ODI debut on September 7, 2021, against South Africa. He grabbed a wicket on his first international spell and collected four in the series. The same month, he also received a place in the Lankan side for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, and the tournament saw him grab eight wickets to become the second-highest wicket-taker, enough to impress the selectors at Chennai Super Kings.
Theekshana's acquisition did not gain limelight, but despite changes in Chennai's captaincy, the Lankan spinner silently grabbed 12 wickets in nine games in 2022. The following year, Theekshana upped his game under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and played a crucial role in CSK's IPL winning campaign. 2023 witnessed Theekshana grab 11 wickets in 13 games, but he received severe criticism due to his poor fielding efforts.
Theekshana revealed that despite his misfielding, former CSK captain Dhoni had faith in him and did not drop him from the team. In fact, Dhoni was the first captain to give Theekshana the ball in the death overs in T20I, believing that the Sri Lankan has the potential to tackle mounting pressure in the shortest format of the game. Not to forget, in Theekshana's debut IPL season, Dhoni asked the spinner to ball during the final overs of the Powerplay, which is considered one of the biggest challenges for bowlers in T20s.
The spinner also revealed that Dhoni once made a cheeky comment, asking him not to bowl any more. However, the Lankan bowler also added, "He had confidence in me to do that. It just happened straightaway. Even in the last year, I bowled in the death overs because he had that confidence. And that's because he will take responsibility for it. Of course, as a bowler, I also have a responsibility, but he assumes accountability for his decisions."
Furthermore, Dhoni also helped Theekshana develop his yorker and explained to the bowler how not to give away sweep shots.
Unfortunately, 2024 has not been kind to the birthday boy because he played only five games in the IPL, whereas in the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the Super 8. Even in the ongoing series between India and Sri Lanka, Theekshana has proved to be an expensive bowler.
On his birthday, we hope that he finds his form and delivers at the highest stage, as Dhoni predicted.
