THE WICKET-KEEPER
- DINESH CHANDIMAL (WICKET-KEEPER)
‘’One man goes and another steps in’’.
This famous proverb of French origin holds good across all ages. When Kumar Sangakkara bid adieu to Test cricket in August, cricket enthusiasts in general and Lankan fans in particular were left concerned at the farewell of one of the finest players of the modern era. Although he had stopped keeping wickets in Tests after 2009, the quest for a talented middle order batsman in Test cricket had become a baffling the Lankan selectors up until Dinesh Chandimal stepped in and reduced their worries to a great extent. The 26 year old wicket keeper batsman from Balapitiya struck a gritty ton in the 2nd innings of Sri Lanka’s first Test against India in Galle and propelled the Lankans to a dramatic turnaround against the visitors. He scored 288 Test runs in 6 innings at an amazing average of 48 in Sri Lanka’s 3 match home series against India. Chandimal has amassed 792 runs in 17 innings at an average of 46.59 with 2 tons and 4 fifties in 2015- an effort which has cemented his place in the Sri Lankan batting line-up. The Lankan prodigy who is endowed with loads of talent behind the stumps has affected 22 dismissals (18 catches and 4 stumpings) in 11 games this year and has been selected as the glove man in this incredible squad.
