Mystery faded, mature Ajantha Mendis bides his time

The R. Premadasa Stadium is about half an hour away by 'tuk-tuk' from the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), where the third India-Sri Lanka Test is going on. It is one of the bigger, if not the biggest cricket stadium, in the country and at one corner of the field there are a bunch of Sri Lankan players doing running drills.

On the field, a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) team is taking on the Sri Lanka 'A' side in a three-day match, but this group of players is not part of the 'A' team. Among them are ODI pace king Lasith Malinga with other speedsters like Shaminda Eranga and Nuwan Kulasekara. There is one oddity among them, of course, a spinner - Ajantha Mendis.

Seven years ago, when India toured these parts, the team did not know what hit them. Some called him a 'mystery spinner' others a 'carrom-ball' spinner, but Mendis, along with Muttiah Muralitharan, cut the powerful Indian batting down to size. The off-spinner claimed 26 wickets in just three Tests and became a sensation overnight. Fast forward to 2015, Mendis has only played in 16 Tests after that series and added only 44 wickets to his kitty. In the last two years, he has completely dropped off the radar with floundering form and injury.

As Tharindu Kaushal walks with the tag of 'mystery' at the SSC, one can't help but go up to the original maestro and ask what he's up to. "I had a severe back injury six months back. I haven't been able to bowl at all during this period. Now after rehab, I have started to do a bit of running and bowling over the last six weeks," Mendis told TOI.

"One of the mistakes I made was bowling with back pain. It came to a point where I just couldn't bowl off-spinners because it was hurting the back. I just couldn't continue like that be cause I am an off-break bowler. I am now slowly starting to bowl again, developing and refining my off-break which is my stock ball," he added.

He doesn't forget the support of Murali and Mahela Jayawardene during the tough times he has seen over the last few years. "Murali and Mahela have always been supportive since I made my debut. They were always there for me over the last few years as well. Mahela used to help me plan my bowling, set fields and even suggest which variations to use when I first started playing," Mendis, who is much more fluent with English these days, said.

The tag of the 'mystery bowler' will always follow Mendis around but the Moratuwa-born spinner wants to be known as an 'off-spinner'. "I would like to be known as a good bowler. I bowled with some variations and that's why I was given the tag of a mystery bowler. Now I want to go back to my stock ball. I now know if I want to pick up wickets I have to be more disciplined. I have learned how to bowl in Test cricket," the 30-year-old said.

Another offie reaping the benefits of going back to the basics is Ravichandran Ashwin."He is a very good bowler," Mendis said, "He bowls a good line and length and generates good bounce. As I learnt in Test cricket you have to be more patient and bowl dot balls."