Dinesh Chandimal

Dinesh Chandimal is among the most promising young batsman going around in Sri Lankan cricket. A technically sound batsman with strokes all around the wicket, Chandimal also stands out because of the maturity he shows at the crease and his temperament to build and pace an innings.

He made his international debut when only 21, and impressed almost immediately, scoring 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 significantly in 2012, when he performed superbly in ODIs on successive tours to South Africa and Australia. In conditions he wouldn't have been used to, Chandimal occupied the crucial No.4 slot and revelled in the responsibility, scoring consistently. In 16 ODI innings in those two series, he aggregated 630 runs, including six fifties. He was equally impressive 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 dropped 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, and was also named Angelo Mathews' deputy in Tests and ODIs. He celebrated his elevation with back-to-back Test hundreds against Bangladesh at home.

Chandimal's rise to the national team came after consistent performances with bat and gloves at age-level cricket. That included an attacking century against India Under-19s in August 2007 and an unbeaten 112 in the tri-nation series against England U-19s the following year earned him a call-up to the squad for the U-19 World Cup in Malaysia in 2008.

Shortly after completing a prolific season for Colombo's Ananda College, Chandimal was invited to join Nondescripts Cricket Club by Kumar Sangakkara. Chandimal was only 19 when scored his maiden first-class century against New Zealand in 2009, representing a Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI in two three-day practice matches against the likes of Chris Martin, Darryl Tuffey, Ian O'Brien, Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori. He was among the leading run-getters in Sri Lanka's Interprovincial Twenty20 competition, and won a call-up to the national side for the ICC World Twenty20 in 2010. Soon after, the international opportunities followed, and Chandimal has made the most of them.
Sa'adi Thawfeeq and ESPNcricinfo staff