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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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
