Chase your dreams: Chandimal’s message to rural youngsters Dinesh Chandimal will become the youngest Sri Lankan captain today. by Rex Clementine Since Sri Lanka’s first ever ODI in the 1975 ICC World Cup, 16 men have captained the country, and today Dinesh Chandimal will become the 17th and the youngest, breaking the record held by the legendary Arjuna Ranatunga. Chandimal is the third Sri Lankan captain to emerge from the outstations. Of the other 16 captains, most were from Colombo, while a couple of them hailed from Kandy. The complete outsiders along with Chandimal are Sanath Jayasuriya (Matara) and Tillekeratne Dilshan (Kalutara). Chandimal’s hometown is a small fishing village in Balapitiya, and he attended Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda, for whom he played at the Under-13 and Under-15 levels. The eldest in a family of five children, he underwent many challenges, while growing up, including the devastating 2004 tsunami, which destroyed his house completely and affected his father’s livelihood. His prodigious talent was spotted by Ananda College, and he won a scholarship to pursue a career in Colombo. That break began to turn things around for Chandimal, and today he is seen as the man who could break the many batting records held by Kumar Sangakkara. We do not see eye to eye with Cricket Board Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga, but Ranatunga was one of the individuals who helped Chandimal during his formative years, in his capacity as an active member of the Ananda College Old Boys’ Association. Reputed businessman Ranjith Pandithage was another individual who supported Chandimal, which included providing him with employment. Later on crooks, in the garbs of player agents cashed in. Yesterday, Chandimal spoke to the media for the first time after being appointed captain of the national team in the absence of Angelo Mathews, who is serving a two match suspension. "I have reached this stage after a lot of hardships and from humble beginnings. I came from a village and I am thrilled to be leading my country today," Chandimal told journalists. Chandimal in fact started his cricket as an off-spinner at Dharmasoka, where he was no-balled for chucking, at the age of 12. Then, on the instructions of his school coach, he began to keep wickets. That proved to be a blessing in disguise. He was asked during the media briefing what message he has got for young players from the rural areas, who are going through many hardships to make it big in the sport. "My advice is that from the time you represent your school, care for the great game. Have a passion and try to improve every day at every level. You will face many a hardship, there will be criticism, there will be disappointments and only the players who will be able to come on top of all these drawbacks will go the long distance. So, my advice to rural youngsters is to not to give up. Work hard. Sometimes you do well and still you will not get a chance to play. But there will be a time when even if you aren’t doing that well, you get opportunities. You have to strike a balance between all these and work towards your goal," Chandimal went onto say.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 06:34:07 +0000
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