Dinesh Chandimal is one of the most promising batsmen today. He is one of the most popular players for the Sri Lankan team. He has gained a strong reputation since he has a mature personality and a good attitude when he is playing on the field. Talking about his debut, he made his international debut when he scored 111 in his second ODI, against India in the 2010 triangular series in Zimbabwe. Four innings later, he made another century, this time against England at Lord’s, but his stocks rose considerably in 2012 when he accomplished superbly in ODIs on successive tours to South Africa and Australia.
However, in conditions he would not have been used to, Chandimal occupied the crucial No.4 slot and revealed in the responsibility, scoring always. In 16 ODI innings in those two series, he aggregated 630 runs, including six fifties. He was equally outstanding on his Test debut too, scoring fifties in each innings in Durban as Sri Lanka won their first Test in South Africa.
A dip in his limited overs form, especially at home, saw Chandimal decline from the side during the latter half of 2012, though he remained in the Sri Lanka squad for all three formats. He returned to the Test side at the SCG for the New Year Test, and hit an unbeaten 67, batting alongside the tail. Six weeks later he became Sri Lanka’s youngest-ever captain, at 23, when he was handed the reins of Sri Lanka’s top-ranked Twenty20. Further, he was named Angelo Mathews’ deputy in Tests and ODIs. He celebrated his elevation with back-to-back Test hundreds against Bangladesh at home.
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Biography of Dinesh Chandimal
- Real Name: Lokuge Dinesh Chandimal
- Other/Nickname: Chandi
- Profession: Cricket
- Famous for: He made half-centuries (58 and 54) in each of Sri Lanka’s innings becoming the first Sri Lankan batsman to score half-centuries in both innings on his Test debut.
- Best Performance until now: Chandimal made his Test debut for Sri Lanka in December 2011, in the second Test of the series against South Africa in Durban
- Batting: Right-handed
- Bowling: Right arm off break
Physical Status:
- Height: 5 Feet 8 Inches
- Weight: 75kg
- Body Measurements: 40-14-30 inches
- Eye Colour: Black
- Hair Colour: Black
Personal Life:
- Date of Birth: 18 November 1989
- Age: 33
- Nationality: Sri Lankan
- Birthplace: Balapitiya, Sri Lanka
- Hometown: Balapitiya, Sri Lanka
- College: Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda
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Debut:
- Test Debut: 26 December 2011
- ODI Debut: 01 June 2010
- T20 Debut: 30 April 2010
Achievements:
- In 2009, he captained his school team and scored 1,580 runs leading his school side to 13 consecutive victories. It was the first time in Sri Lankan school history that someone had crossed the 1,000-run mark with the bat as well as captained his side so successfully and won the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Award.
- Having scored a century against India in 2010 in Harare, Dinesh became the youngest Sri Lankan to score a ton.
- In the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup against Australia in Sydney, he scored 50 off 22 balls; this was the fastest fifty by a Sri Lankan batsman in Cricket World Cup history.
Family Details:
- Marital Status: Married
- Spouse Name: Ishika Jayasekara
- Parents’ Names: Not known
- Siblings: 1 brother (name unknown)
- Religion: Buddhism
- Other Hobbies: Listening to Music, Watching Movies, Travelling
Lesser-Known Facts about Dinesh
- Dinesh Chandimal does not drink alcohol
- On 26 December 2004, when Chandimal was just 14, his Balapitiya house was devastated by the Indian Ocean Tsunami tragedy.
- Chandimal still goes to Balapitiya often to memorise the tragic incident which devastated his family.
- When he was in his teens, he began his cricket career in school.
- In 2008, Chandimal was appointed the captain of the school’s first eleven, which he led in 13 outright wins in a season.
- During the 2012 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, Rajasthan Royals bought him for $50,000 but he did not show up in any match.
- In March 2018, Chandimal was named the captain of the Colombo squad for the Super Four Provincial Tournament.
- Chandimal holds the joint record for taking the greatest number of catches in a single T20I as a fielder (4) along with Ajinkya Rahane, Darren Sammy, Corey Anderson, Peter Borren, and Babar Hayat.
Summing up, Chandimal’s rise to the national team came after constant performances with bat and gloves at age-level cricket. From an attacking century against India Under-19s in August 2007 to an unbeaten 112 in the tri-nation series against England U-19s. The subsequent year earned him a call-up to the squad for the U-19 World Cup in Malaysia in 2008.
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