Mumbai: Having bamboozled batsmen in the recent Asia Cup, Sri Lanka’s ‘mystery’ spinner Ajantha Mendis sought to put Indian batsmen on the backfoot ahead of the Test series by disclosing that he was working on a new delivery.

“I am new to this game (Tests). I have five different deliveries and am working on the sixth,” Mendis told reporters here. Mendis said all he planned to do was to aim and bowl at the right spots.

Mendis said he was looking forward to bowling to the Indian batting line-up alongside his idol Muttiah Muralidharan in the three-Test series at home starting on July 23.

“Murali is my idol and I want to bowl alongside him. It will be a great opportunity for me. I want to bowl at the right places,” said the 23-year-old bowler, with Arjuna Ranatunga acting as his interpreter.

Mendis, who had flattened the Indian team in the Asia Cup final with a staggering six-wicket haul for very few runs, said he had so far played 19 first class games and taken over one hundred wickets.

“It’s an honour to bowl alongside Murali and to the top Indian batsmen like Rahul (Dravid), Sachin (Tendulkar), (Sourav) Ganguly and (VVS) Laxman,” he said.

Speaking about the series, Ranatunga said he had always found a Test rubber against India fought fiercely.

“We have a new bowling sensation (Mendis). I don’t like to call him a freak but he’s a freak. We are lucky to come across such bowlers once in ten years, the previous one being Murali,” the 1996 World Cup-winning skipper said.

Meanwhile, Muralidharan has been chosen for Sri Lanka’s ‘most outstanding sportsman of the year award’. President Mahinda Rajapakse honoured Muralidharan with the award at a function here on Wednesday. Muralidharan thanked the president after receiving the award.