One of the most frequently asked question in cricketing circles over the last month or so has been: How do you tackle Ajantha Mendis?

The quirky spinner had the Indian batsmen in knots through the Test and one-day series until Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni managed to get on top of him. Dhoni, especially, used some unconventional methods and according to two-time World Cup winning coach John Buchanan, each batsman would need to figure out different strategies to counter the bowler.

“You need to make a proper plan against him after watching the videos,” Buchanan told The Indian Express.

“I will give you an example. In 2004 when we (Australia) went to Sri Lanka, I sat with the batting group. And each batsman formed a strategy to counter (Muttiah) Muralitharan according to the strength of each batsman,” he added.

But in this age of technology, why hasn’t he been decoded as yet?

“It’s his unusual action that is giving the batsmen a tough time. As you have seen, he flicks the ball with his fingers and doesn’t use his wrist much, and that makes it difficult for batsmen to read him,” said Kolkata Knight Riders coach John Buchanan, who saw the spinner closely during the IPL as Mendis was in his team.

“I saw him at the nets. I liked what I saw; he was amazing. But it would be too hypothetical at this stage to predict where he will end up. He has the potential , of course, to go a long way,” he added.