New Delhi: Sri Lanka all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne received a special gift from his role model on T20I debut against India. Karunaratne impressed many with his all-round performance during the ODI series. The 25-year-old played some important cameos for the hosts in a couple of matches.
Karunaratne received a bat from star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya on his debut game as the Sri Lanka player referred to him as his role model.
The 25-year-old posted the video of the incident on his Instagram account and heaped huge praise on Hardik.
“Absolutely honoured to have received a bat from my role model Hardik Pandya on my T20 debut,” Karunaratne wrote on Instagram.
He further called Hardik an amazing human being and claims he will never forget this day.
“You are an amazing human being and I am truly touched by your thoughtful gesture.
“I’ll never forget this day. May God bless you always,” he added.
However, it was not an ideal debut for Karunaratne on Sunday as he got castled for 3 by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Hardik also had an underwhelming game as he scored just 10 runs off 12 balls before getting dismissed by Chameera. With the ball, the flamboyant India all-rounder claimed only one wicket.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav’s golden run with the bat was beautifully complemented by the Indian bowling unit led by Bhuvneshar Kumar as the visitors outclassed Sri Lanka by 38 runs in the first T20I on Sunday.
If Surya’s second T20 International half-century — an attractive 50 off 34 balls — ensured a decent total of 164 for 5, Yuzvendra Chahal (1/19 in 4 overs) oozed class while Deepak Chahar (2/24 in 3 overs) and Bhuvneshwar (4/22 in 3.3 overs) picked up wickets when it mattered most, bowling the hosts out for 126 in 18.3 overs