COLOMBO, July 9: Sri Lanka’s new spin sensation Ajantha Mendis has been given a double promotion in the army after his exploits in the Asia Cup final, officials said on Wednesday.

Mendis, 23, a gunner, was promoted to the second lieutenant rank by President Mahinda Rajapakse, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Mendis destroyed India with record-breaking figures of 6-13 as Sri Lanka won Sunday’s Asia Cup final in Karachi by 100 runs.

It was the best bowling performance in the continental tournament, surpassing Pakistan pace bowler Aaqib Javed’s 5-19 against India at Sharjah in 1995.

Mendis, who hails from the Colombo suburb of Moratuwa, finished with 17 wickets in the tournament.

“I am delighted to have played a part in Sri Lanka’s victory,” Mendis said after returning from Pakistan. “I just want to bowl as best as I can every time I come to the bowling crease. I did that on Sunday.”

The young Mendis uses an unusual grip in which he appears to squeeze the ball out of his fingers, bowling off-spin, leg-spin, googly, the top-spinner and the flipper.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the first to concede that Mendis was simply unplayable.

“We just could not read him and we knew he was a surprise bowler,” he said. “You need to be there in the middle to understand what he bowls. It was tough to pick his deliveries. It is not that the batsmen played badly, they played expecting something and the ball did something else.”

India will face Mendis again when they tour Sri Lanka from next week for three Tests and five One-day Internationals.—AFP