Dinesh Chandimal

Dinesh Chandimal Biography

A product of Nondescripts CC, Dinesh Chandimal hails from Balapitiya, a town ripped apart by the 2004 tsunami. He was 14 at that time. Unperturbed, he rose through the ranks of age-group cricket. He became the first to effect 50 dismissals in Under-19 ODIs. This was in addition to his unfazed presence at the crease, often punctuated with delightfully placed boundaries.

Chandimal had an impressive start to his Test career, with 58 and 54 against South Africa. He became the first Sri Lankan to score twin fifties on Test debut. Unfortunately, in the years to come he remained yet another enormously talented batsman who could not live up to his potential. True, he kept wickets, but that was true for several contemporary Sri Lankan batsmen; as a result, with the big scores not coming, he found his place in jeopardy.

He did well in the shorter versions. In fact, with Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene both giving up captaincy and Tillakaratne Dilshan not in contention, Chandimal was appointed captain for the 2014 World T20. He was suspended for a match for slow over-rate, but could not make it back to the side; Sri Lanka lifted the trophy for the first time under Lasith Malinga as Chandimal watched from the sidelines.

He finally announced himself the next year, in the World Cup match against Australia, where he smashed a 24-ball 52 before being forced to retire. Then, with Jayawardene gone and Sangakkara in the last days of his career, Chandimal was expected to step up as a senior of the side. And he did.

That summer he played one of the greatest innings in the 14-decade-long history of Test cricket, against India at Galle. He had already scored 59 in a first-innings team total of 183; then, after India secured a 192-run lead, Sri Lanka were left reeling, first at 5 for 3, then at 95 for 5. At this stage Chandimal launched a furious onslaught, carving out an unbeaten 162 in 169 balls, turning the match on its head single-handedly before Rangana Herath spun India out.

The hundreds followed as he grew in stature, being elevated to vice-captain. He scored 83 and 58 under trying conditions at Dunedin; 126 in a lost cause at Chester-le-Street; and a sedate, gritty 132 to lift Sri Lanka from 26 for 5 to 355 against Australia at SSC.

Despite his inconsistent form, Chandimal continues to remain a mainstay of Sri Lankan middle-order.

Abhishek Mukherjee

Dinesh Chandimal Batting & Fielding Averages

Career	M	In	R	NO	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	46	84	3413	6	164	43.75	6765	50.45	10	16	372	21	73	10
ODIs	139	126	3433	21	111	32.69	4650	73.82	4	21	234	37	58	7
T20s	52	45	738	3	58	17.57	713	103.5	0	4	66	15	28	5
World Cup	3	1	52	1	52*	--	24	216.6	0	1	8	1	1	0

Dinesh Chandimal Bowling Averages

Career	M	B	R	W	Avg	EC	SR	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM
Test	46	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
ODIs	139	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
T20s	52	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	3	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--		--

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