Punjab Kings batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa had a dream IPL debut on Sunday playing an anchor role as his side thumped Royal Challengers Bangalore at the DY Patil Sports Academy. Punjab convincingly chased down 204 runs set by RCB.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan cricketer is keen on having a chat with Virat Kohli and pick his brain over fitness. Incidentally, the southpaw was left out Sri Lanka’s playing xi earlier this year due to fitness and weight issues.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa who was dropped from Sri Lanka team over fitness issues smashed 43 runs from 22 balls in his IPL debut pic.twitter.com/7E81IwNqyL
— Azzam Ameen (@AzzamAmeen) March 27, 2022
Bhanuka Rajapksa praised Virat Kohli’s work ethic and mentioned that he looks forward to having a chat with him. He pointed out that the star batter is supremely fit while also calling him Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket. Speaking to PTI, he said:
“Outside of the team, Virat Kohli is always someone I could speak to and get some advice on fitness. He’s at another different level when it comes to fitness. To me, he is the Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket for sure. The work he puts in, you can obviously see the results. You can compare him to anyone when it comes to fitness or even skills-wise. He plays so hard and you can learn a lot by talking to him.”
The 30-year-old likes to spend a lot of time in gym and asserted fitness is an important aspect for professional cricketers.
“I am loving picking the brains of Shikhar Dhawan” – Bhanuka Rajapaksa
This is Bhanuka’s first stint in the biggest T20 league in the world and the Sri Lanka superstar stated he is loving the time he spends with Shikhar Dhawan and Captain Mayank Agarwal.
“IPL is the best league in the world, and with every teammate of yours, you get to learn a lot about the game. So I am loving picking the brains of Shikhar Dhawan. I get along very well with Mayank Agarwal as we played U-19 together,” he concluded.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa will be in action on April 2 when Punjab Kings play defending champions Chennai Super Kings.
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