Dinesh Chandimal

Dinesh Chandimal has shown immense potential in the short time that he has spent with the Sri Lankan team. A hard-hitting wicket keeper-batsman, Chandimal has played some match-winning knocks and has grabbed the attention of the cricketing world. Many in Sri Lanka have suggested that Chandimal is a player for the future and has got the potential to adjust his style to suit all forms of the game.

Chandimal had a tragic start to his cricketing career. His father had a meagre income. Things got even worse for him when the Tsunami struck in 2004 and his family was affected by it. Coming into the trials for the Under-13 squad as a bowler who could bat, Chandimal's bowling action was deemed controversial and was left out.

However, he turned the corner and switched to wicket-keeping. He idolises Romesh Kaluwitharana for his aggressive batting and keeping style. Whenever one sees Chandimal bat, many are reminded about the way Kaluwitharana played. He was a prolific run-getter in school and college cricket. His consistency earned him a place in the Sri Lankan U-19 team where he blazed away to a century against the Indian Under-19 unit. He followed it up with another century against England Under-19 team and that earned him a spot in the Under-19 World Cup played in Kuala Lumpur.

On the request of Kumar Sangakkara, Chandimal joined the Nondescripts Cricket Club and his career has charted the upward course since then. His high point came when he scored a century in a three-day match against a New Zealand team featuring Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori, Daryl Tuffey and Chris Martin.

His prolific domestic season earned him a spot in the Sri Lankan national team for the 2010 T20 World Cup. He performed relatively well and he was picked for the Zimbabwe tri-series. His first major knock came against India when he scored his maiden ODI century. His knock combined aggression with caution and knocked India out of the tournament. He carried on his good form during the 2011 England tour when he scored a blazing century at Lord's in an ODI and scored an aggressive fifty in Manchester in a losing cause.

With an average of 61 in ODIs, Chandimal has given notice of his potential. It is only a matter of time before he becomes a permanent member of the Sri Lankan team. Chadimal's much-awaited Test debut came in 2011 in Durban, where Sri Lanka scripted their first triumph on South African soil. While Rangana Herath was the chief protagonist taking nine wickets, Chandimal, withstood Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Jacques Kallis and Marchant de Lange, and notched up fifties in each innings to play the supporting act to perfection and with it, confirm his burgeoning talent.

Chandimal's heroics deservedly fetched him the Emerging player of the year award in September 2012. The maiden Test hundred had to wait till 2013 though. Chandimal reached the milestone after cashing in on four dropped catches from Bangladesh in Galle. During the same year, Chandimal, became Sri Lanka's youngest captain when he was handed over the reins, deputising for regular skipper , Angelo Mathews, for the first two ODIs versus South Africa. Chandimal led the T20 side, while still picking up the tricks of the trade from Mathews and other seniors.

The advent of captaincy visibly shackled his batting as he traded robust strokes for cautious prods. As a result, the once sky-high ODI average was brought down to earth. Poor form coupled with a sluggish strike-rate forced him out of the XI in the World T20 2014. Malinga took over the reins and Lahiru Thirimanne grabbed the middle-order berth with both hands, lending stability to the line-up as Sri Lanka sealed their maiden T20 Cup title.

His persistent poor form in 2014 did not bode well with the selectors, and Chandimal was dropped from the 15-man squad in July 2014 for the Pakistan Tests. In the ODIs against Pakistan and India, he only registered single figures and did not feature in any other games until he was recalled to the team for the last two ODIs against England in December 2014. He hit an unbeaten 55 in the final ODI as the Lankans posted a good total of 302.

Although Chandimal could not perform as per the expectations against New Zealand as well, his overall ODI record helped him bag a spot in the 15-man squad for the World Cup. Post 2015 WC, Chandimal's rise as a cricketer and batsman has seen a new high as the classy wicket-keeper batsman impressed with a string of matured knocks home and away.

2015 marked a year of change in Sri Lankan cricket. Senior heads rolling out, performances dipping and an over-reliance on the freshly blooded youngsters. This was precisely the opportunity Chandimal needed. And he unleashed himself upon the world with a brilliant innings of 162 - carting the Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground - at Galle to win his side a match from dire straits. 16 fours and four sixes in it. If ever a career was to be remembered by just the lone innings, this was it for him.

He soon found himself in the record books with five consecutive 50+ scores in ODIs - only the fourth Sri Lankan to do so. On a wretched tour to England for his side where they failed to win a single game, Chandimal stuck his neck out with some dogged fighting knocks.

The period post the Champions Trophy of 2017 in England proved to be a mixed bag of emotions for Chandimal. On the one hand he was dropped from the limited overs side, thanks to a lack of consistency in that format and on the other, he was named to lead the Sri Lankan Test side in the wake of Angelo Mathews' shock resignation. The tag of captaincy wasn't new to him, having led the side on occasions when Mathews was out injured. This time though he gave up wicket keeping duties too.

His reign began with one of the worst losses for Sri Lanka in their history - getting wiped out at home against India. In his own words, it was the worst series of his life.

And then the script turned on its head in the tour that followed to the UAE, Leading the charge with a nine-hour marathon innings of 155, he played a vital role in breaching what was Pakistan's fortress, before captaining his side to a win in their first-ever day-night Test, to clinch the series 2-0. For some reason, he found it wise to thank witchcraft for his side's success.

Another feather in his cap was his knock in the 'polluted Test' at Delhi, where he got to his tenth Test century, thus making him the fastest Sri Lankan to get to that mark - getting there in 80 innings.

Battling injuries and a rebuilding phase for his side that has kept going on and on, the era he leaves behind could well define how Sri Lanka progress as a cricketing nation. Hailed as one of the most promising young batsmen around the world, his side needs him more than ever.

By Cricbuzz Staff