কৌশল সিলভা

A supremely talented wicket-keeper batsman, Kaushal Silva burst onto the radar of the national selection thanks to strong performances for SSC in the Premier League and other domestic tournaments.

Silva didn't start out as a wicket-keeper but discovered his abilities when he filled in for the regular keeper during an U-13 school game in which he managed 5 dismissals. Silva honed his keeping skills over the years and is now among the best keepers in the country.

Silva shone in the age-group tournaments before being selected for the Sri Lanka U-19 side in 2004. Good performances there earned him a place in the Sri Lanka developmental squad and the 'A' team.

However, Silva himself admitted that it was the tour to South Africa with the Sri Lanka 'A' team in August last year that really spurred him on to become a good cricketer. Silva was superb, scoring two centuries and two fifties on the testing South African wickets, earning him rich praise from Sri Lanka 'A' coach Chandika Hathurusingha, which was instrumental in catapulting him into the big league. He is also highly recommended by captain Kumar Sangakkara, who believes that it is only Prasanna Jayawardene's extraordinary wicket-keeping that has kept Silva out.

Silva was named in the national squad after he toured Pakistan with the 'A' team. However, he didn't get a single game on the tour to Pakistan. He was later named in the squad for the tests against India in November-December 2009. He did not get a look in there either.

Silva was named as the captain of Sri Lanka A for its tour to England in 2011. Featuring in the middle order, Silva proved his mettle with a polished 89 in the drawn Test at Scarborough. He was the pivot around which the middle order revolved.

Kaushal was finally handed his debut against Pakistan in Dubai in 2011. However, with Prasanna Jayawardene, firmly establishing himself as the front-line keeper and with an equally impressive Chandimal waiting in the wings, Silva was dropped after Sri Lanka's South African sojourn in 2011.

Never the one to give up, Silva returned to domestic cricket, amassing runs at a remarkable consistency, which re-injected confidence into the selection panel. With Dilshan hanging up his Test boots, Silva transformed himself into a pure top order batsman to boost his chances of a return.

In his first audition as an opener in October 2013, Silva, constructed a solid 125 for Sri Lanka Board XI against Sri Lanka Cricket development XI to press his case further.

All the hard toil paid off when he was pencilled in for the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE at the close of the 2012, stretching into the new year. Silva marked his second coming to international cricket with twin fifties in Dubai. Falling for 95 in the first essay, Silva was unfortunate to miss out on what could have been a deserved three figure score but Mahela Jayawardene emphasized that the knock was as good as a ton. The reinvigorated Silva proceeded to notch up a typically resolute 139 in the following Test series against Bangladesh. Silva had compiled 27 First Class centuries before but this one was special, for it was not only his maiden hundred in the international cauldron, it also saw him seal the opening berth.

If his comeback in anything to go by, then Silva is here to stay.

by Mayank Wadhi and Deivarayan Muthu