Young Sri Lanka all-rounder Dunith Wellalage has received high acclaim from cricket great Lasith Malinga for his outstanding bowling performance against India's star-studded top order in the Asia Cup.

Sri Lanka had a good chance of winning the match against India. India got off to a great start by batting first. They were scoring runs quickly. However, after the introduction of Wellalage, India’s struggling phase started in the match and the spinner took 4 of India's first 4 wickets. Later this spinner ended his bowling with 5 wickets at the cost of 40 runs.

Wellalage’s heroics did not end here. When the team was in bad condition batting, he paired up with Dhananjaya de Silva. Even though the team could not win in the end, Wellalage’s fighting spirit caught everyone's attention. He was unbeaten in the end after playing an innings of 42 runs off 46 balls.

As a result of his great performance, the entire cricket world has praised him. Former Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga said in a tweet, "It’s fair to say that SL played with 12 players today. That’s how good Dunith was. He’s got a brilliant head on his young shoulders to go with his all-round skill set. I believe he’s on his way to becoming the most important player for SL in ODIs for the next decade."

Besides, Harsha Bhogle, Irrfan Pathan, and Ravichandran Ashwin also praised Wellalage. The cricketer has just played 13 ODI matches. The spinner is going to be a key member of Sri Lanka's World Cup squad. Earlier in the 2022 U-19 World Cup, Wellalage became the tournament's highest wicket-taker by taking 17 wickets.