Ronaldo or Undertaker? Matheesha Pathirana gives clarity on celebration with post-match banter with Shivam Dube

21-year-old Matheesha Pathirana has been the talk of the town ever since his recovery from a hamstring injury sustained during one of Sri Lanka's T20Is against Bangladesh in the previous month. Ever since he's been integrated into the setup of the five-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings, he's come good with the ball.

In his side's clash against the rivals Mumbai Indians, he proved to be the difference with the ball, creating an instantaneous transformation while coming in as an Impact Player.

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The Sri Lankan picked a wicket on the very first ball of his spell, dismissing southpaw Ishan Kishan, who was looking threatening with the way he was growing into his innings. Pathirana ended up with match-winning figures of 4/28 in his quota, and deservedly won the Player of the Match award, becoming the youngest for CSK to bag a four-wicket haul (21 years, 118 days).

In addition to his slingy action and pinpoint yorkers, he has been in the limelight for another reason - his characteristically unique celebration while celebrating a wicket. Many have likened Pathirana to have been trying to mirror legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic celebration by folding his hands near his chest and glancing upwards towards the sky. However, Pathirana's celebratory gesture has sparked comparisons to American professional wrestler The Undertaker's famous eye roll amongst some observers.

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The youngster appears to have finally dispelled any sort of remanent confusion when questioned by CSK batting star Shivam Dube on Sunday, post CSK's victory against MI at the Wankhede Stadium. Pathirana explained that he's a big supporter of Ronaldo and he's always tried to mimic the latter's celebration post him scoring a goal. Nevertheless, his inability to fully close his eyes during the gesture has prompted comparisons to the iconic eye roll of The Undertaker.

"No, it is not the undertaker. I follow Cristiano Ronaldo and try to do his celebration. I try to close my eyes. I can't do that, unfortunately," Pathirana told Dube during their post-match chat together.

After listening to Pathirana's response, Dube posed a rhetorical question of whether that's what makes him The Undertaker, to which both of them erupted into laughter.

"So that's why you became The Undertaker?" Dube questioned Pathirana.