Published: Jun 17, 2016, 04:49 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 18, 2016, 09:44 AM (IST)
Every team strives for players who can perform for them consistently. Indian cricket team had a ‘Golden Period’ when they had Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar as their batting superstars. In the same ways, Sri Lanka were also blessed with the talented duo of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. Once these two retired, Sri Lanka have struggled in alien conditions as they were used to being bailed out from them in dire circumstances. During Sri Lanka’s ongoing tour of England, their inexperienced batsmen struggled to cope up with the variations and swing of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, but one man stood up (or at least showed the will to face them). Dinesh Chandimal shone with an impressive hundred in the second Test and has carried his form in ODI against Ireland in a short series. ALSO READ:Dinesh Chandimal’s unbeaten 102 propels Sri Lanka to 303-7 against Ireland in 1st ODI at Dublin
Having started the series in a bizarre fashion by losing the first Test against hosts, England by an innings and 88 runs, Sri Lanka was expected to stage a comeback in the second match of the three-match series. The script pretty much remained the same as in reply to England’s mammoth 498 for 9 declared; the visitors continued to edge Anderson’s balls outside off-stump, and threw their wickets after getting a look-in. They collapsed to a paltry 101 in the first innings and had to bat out of their skin to save the Test. That did not happen but one man played the way a Jayawardene or Sangakkara would have played, in the second innings. Chandimal stood his ground as he kept losing partners at the other end and reached a belligerent hundred.
Be no means it was a defensive innings as he went after the bowlers when he felt the need to and kept on playing the waiting game when required. He stitched a 116-run partnership with Rangana Herath and showed the responsibility to bat the overs and be there for the team when needed. In the short tour of Ireland, Sri Lanka are scheduled to play two-match ODI series. In the first match of the series, Sri Lanka, batting first, was looking to slip further when they Chandimal came into bat. The score read 47 for 2 and he again raised his hand to take soak up the responsibility. ALSO READ:England win 2nd Test by 9 wickets, clinch series
Chandimal played the situation and took his time before exploding. He reached 100 in 108 balls and remained unbeaten to take his team to a total in excess of 300. He looks like someone eager to take responsibility of the middle-order, and is delivering with full confidence also. He has all the shots, and like a modern-day batsman, he knows the art of pacing the innings. If the 1996 World Cup winners get one more batsman to handle a downfall of the top-order and play along with Chandimal, Sri Lanka will be starting to look the formidable force they have always been.
In ODIs, Chandimal’s average against top teams has been good, to say the least. He averages 40.28 against England, 37.28 against Australia, 33.11 against Pakistan and 47.11 against South Africa, who have a potent bowling line-up. His away average is at a decent 36.50. In Tests, Chandimal has dominated India, West Indies and New Zealand with blistering averages of 57.60, 62.66 and 45.33 respectively. No ways are these numbers bad and his team management entrusts him completely which brings the best from him.
The best part of Chandimal’s rise has been his timing. On one side we have a struggling and relatively inexperienced Sri Lankan team and the other side the rise of their wicketkeeper-batsman looking solid in his approach. If others slowly follow his path, Angelo Mathews and co. will again be at their best for other teams.
(Aditya Sahay is a journalist with CricketCountry who is completely into sports and loves writing about cricket in general. He can be followed on Twitter at adisahay7)
