Ajantha Mendis revived the art of off-spin bowling during the first decade of the early millennium and for a brief while, off spin bowling was fashionable.
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During the 2008 Asia Cup final between India and Sri Lanka in Karachi, there was a strange phenomenon occurring. Sri Lanka had posted a good total and India had made a great start. In stepped one bowler who would bamboozle India’s batsmen, considered to be the best in the business. He had an impact during Sri Lanka’s earlier tour of West Indies in 2007/08. In Karachi, he was putting on a show that revived the art of off-spin.
Using a unique finger flick delivery, Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka wreaked havoc on India. The finger flick delivery used to skid and go the other way on some occasions. India was undone in grand style and they lost the Asia Cup final by 100 runs. Ajantha Mendis ended with figures of 6/13. The magic of Shane Warne had revived the art of leg spin. For a brief period, Ajantha Mendis was the torch-bearer for off spin which would inspire the likes of R Ashwin and Mitchell Santner in the near future.
How did the term carom ball come into effect? There was nothing in the MCC rule or dictionary that defined that particular ball. However, in a report in the Guardian, when India was getting confounded by Mendis, one particular individual coined a term. A Sri Lankan lawyer based in the United States, Mahendra Mapagunaratne, on instinct said it was the ‘carom ball’.
The carom ball was a unique way of delivering the doosra. It did not need excessive flexing of the wrists or shoulder. It was a simple front-on flick which meant the ball would skid and go the other way. Was Mendis the pioneer of it? Not really. In the past, there were some people who had unorthodox actions but never got the marketing patent for it. Jack Iverson and John Gleeson were the other spinners in the 50s and the 60s who had unorthodox actions. Gleeson was so conscious of his art and finger that he paid a big sum to insure his fingers.
In modern times, with hundreds glued to the TV, Mendis got the platform to be unique. The rise of Mendis owed much to the Sri Lanka ethos of unorthodoxy. In that era, players with unusual bowling styles did get plenty of chances. Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga in addition to Mendis made a big mark.
In bowling parlances, there was a saying that, “If Lillee does not get you, Thommo will.” For a brief while, Sri Lanka was gifted with the brilliance of Muralitharan and Mendis operating in tandem. The web of terror and guile that they spun around the Indians was simply magnificent. Muralitharan and Mendis ended up taking over 20 wickets in the series as Sri Lanka won 2-1.
How did Mendis perfect the carom ball? According to Sri Lanka folklore, Mendis was employed as a gunner in the army. Operating the guns made his fingers very strong. It is believed that being a gunner helped him immensely in trying to get the carom ball perfectly.
From 2007 to 2012, Mendis was the go-to bowler for Sri Lanka in limited-overs cricket. He became the first bowler in Twenty20 International history to take two six-wicket hauls. Mendis is the only bowler who has taken six-wicket hauls in all three formats of the game. When Muralitharan and Mendis operated, the Sri Lanka bowling was potent. Consider this, Sri Lanka has not won a Test series against India ever since the departure of both Murali and Mendis.
Recently, there was a video that saw Mendis playing Tier B provincial cricket for the Police Team. He had lost the zip of the carom ball. He was playing more as a specialist batsman. Mendis announced his retirement from all forms of the game and it was a sad end for a man who had made off spin bowling stylish.
R Ashwin credits the carom ball knowledge to Mendis. In 2014, when the world was been purged of offspinners for their flex on the doosra, Mendis’ clean style of bowling was missed. It was not a good way to go for a guy who revolutionized variations for an offspinner. The zenith of Mendis will always be that Asia Cup final in Karachi as well as the subsequent destruction of the Indian team in 2008 in the Tests.
Virender Sehwag’s counter-assault against him might have been the first chinks in the armor. But, with the arrival of video and intense scrutiny of his variations, he was worked out. He never became the same after that and he gradually faded away.
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