Kusal Mendis helped a little boy who tripped over, possibly due to heat, during Sri Lanka’s National Anthem before their ODI World Cup 2023 match against Afghanistan.
Pune: Sri Lanka skipper Kusal Mendis produced a heartwarming gesture towards a little kid who fell down on the ground before their match against Afghanistan in ODI World Cup 2023 on Monday. The incident happened when both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan players were on the field for their National Anthem. As a norm, selected local children accompany the players. Soon after the Sri Lankan anthem started, a kid who accompanied Mendis, tripped over (maybe due to heat). Seeing that, the Lankan captain picked the little boy up and held him gently until one of the coaching staff members rushed out to carry the kid off the field.
Earlier, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and elected to field. Noor Ahmad made way for Fazalhaq Farooqi in the Afghanistan playing XI. Sri Lanka replaced Kusal Janith Perera and Lahiru Kumara with Dushmantha Chameera and Dimuth Karunaratne.
Playing XIs
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (wk/c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera and Dilshan Madushanka.