All-time combined India-Sri Lanka ODI XI

#4 Mahela Jayawardene

Few batsmen played cut shots against spinners better than Mahela

Mahela Jayawardene was a real class act. While many modern batsmen have the tendency to biff the ball with brute force in an effort to score quick runs, Jayawardene could achieve the same result by sticking to proper cricketing shots even in T20 matches. For a batsman of his caliber, an ODI average of 33 seems to be underwhelming but none can deny his place in the pantheon of Sri Lankan all-time greats. He is one of a handful of batsmen who breached the 10,000-run mark in both Tests and ODIs.

Mahela's batting is full of elegance and a delight to the purists. Very few batsmen played the late cut against spinners as beautifully as Mahela did. A vivid demonstration of his elegance came in the final of the 2011 World Cup, where he struck a glorious century (103 off just 88 balls) which was overshadowed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni's match-winning 91*. As a captain too, he did a commendable job. This stylish right-hander from Colombo will be a vital cog in the middle-order of our combined XI.