What is Lasith Malinga’s contribution to cricket? It is hard to put into words. In an era where bowlers were being smoked out of the park, the Sri Lankan fast-bowler became the baton-holder of death bowling, crushing toe after toe to earn a place among the best. His different bowling action, incorporated with magnificent line and length made it difficult for the batsmen to score quick runs, turning Malinga into a huge asset for the Mumbai Indians in IPL. Now, India have got its own version of Lasith Malinga who might set the IPL auction 2018 on fire.
Athiyasayaraj Davidson of Tamil Nadu is doing just enough in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to attract the scouts and analysts. Recently, cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra took to his official Twitter handle to upload a video of Athiyasayaraj Davidson and his action is exactly like the Sri Lankan legend. What’s more amusing is the fact that Davidson can bowl some stunning toe-crushers just like his idol. “Meet The Indian Lasith Malinga… #Davidson #DELvTN #SyedMushtaqAliTrophy #IPL,” Chopra wrote on Twitter.
Meet The Indian Lasith Malinga… #Davidson #DELvTN #SyedMushtaqAliTrophy #IPL pic.twitter.com/PHBdivBM9x
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) January 21, 2018
The 25-year-old fast bowler rose to fame while playing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) where he represented the Globe Trotters. However, his breakthrough season came in 2017 where he picked up 15 wickets, representing the Tuti Patriots.
So far, Davidson has taken 10 wickets in five T20 League South Zone matches, including a five-for against Karnataka. He is one of the many players like T Natarajan and Murugan Ashwin who found recognition in TNPL. Monty Desai who was a part of Rajasthan Royals think tank for eight years and helped in identifying a lot of youngsters said that Davidson has got the skills to make it big.
Just like us, the Tamil Nadu bowler will be glued to his TV set this weekend, watching IPL auction 2018, hoping to be picked by a franchise. A total of 578 players will be sold in IPL auction 2018 on January 27 and 28.
