Cricket is the game for millions. Its history has spectacular moments, legendary players, and unforgettable victories.
It’s a game that unites nations and entertains talent across generations.
Now that we sit back to revisit cricketing history, today also happens to be the birthday of one Sri Lankan cricketer who, with years, has stamped an unforgettable mark on the sport: Dinesh Chandimal.
A Young Talent Making His Mark
Born on this day, Dinesh Chandimal shows the world what goes into gaining a foothold in international cricket.
Chandimal started his One-Day Internationals career with Sri Lanka at 21 when he was still an untainted young man.
In his second match, he had already marked himself out with a track-breaking century.
Scoring 111 runs, Chandimal marked himself as one man in the cricketing world.
Test career, too, began with fifties in each of his innings in Durban during Sri Lanka’s historic win over South Africa.
It marked his team’s first-ever Test win on the soil of South Africa, an event that went into the cricket bookshelf.
Rocking the Boat
Like other cricketers, Chandimal had highs and lows in his career.
A downward trend in form led to his exclusion from the playing XI in the last game of 2012.
However, their resilience paved the way for his comeback, and by 2013, he was not only back in the Test side but Sri Lanka’s youngest-ever captain by just 23 years.
He was able to lead the T20I team at a tender age, which exhibits leadership qualities and his ability to handle pressure.
He has also started celebrating his return by scoring back-to-back Test centuries against Bangladesh, neatly sealing up a space at the party as deputy to Angelo Mathews in Tests and ODIs.
Memorable Performances on the Field
Chandimal is the man to the fore in all of Sri Lanka’s victories.
In the famous Test win for Sri Lanka in 2015 at Headingley, he scored a very crucial 45 in the first innings, and with four catches, his wicket-keeping was a sharp occurrence.
In 2015, one of his most exhilarating innings was against India in Galle, where an unbroken 162 of only 168 deliveries took Sri Lanka home to a glorious victory.
Chandimal led Sri Lanka to their maiden 2-0 whitewash of Pakistan over UAE in 2017 when he took over the Test captaincy from Angelo Mathews.
It was a true display of grit and determination that came from his 155 over nine hours in Abu Dhabi.
He managed to give a marathon effort later in the year that ended the Test at Delhi in a draw.
Resolving Controversies
Careers of cricketers can never be controversy-free, but Chandimal was no exception.
Ball-tampering in a Test match in St. Lucia puts him out of the game for 2018. However, the career continued well, and Chandimal stayed as a good player for Sri Lanka.
Record-breaking and History Making
In 2022, Chandimal added another feather to his cap by becoming the first Sri Lankan batter to score a Test double-century against Australia.
His incredible knock helped Sri Lanka achieve a stunning victory in Galle, proving that he still had plenty to offer the sport.
A Cricketer Worth Celebrating
Dinesh Chandimal is a quintessential player of talent, perseverance, and tenacity, but what lends value to his story is from the days when, even as a young player, he struck centuries which resulted in historic wins for his team.
On his birthday, let’s remember not only the cricketer but also the spirit of the game that must always inspire its millions of followers around the world.
Cricket, for sure, has a richer history to draw from in players like Chandimal, whose own journey inspires this generation of athletes.
Reference:
ESPNcricinfo
Crictoday
hindustantimes
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