Dinesh Chandimal Cricketer
Lokuge Dinesh Chandimal (born November 18, 1989 in Balapitiya) is a Sri Lankan international cricketer who has played first class cricket for Ruhuna and Nondescripts Cricket Club. A right-hand batsman and wicket-keeper, he scored 64, four and 109 in his first three innings for the Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI. He is an aggressive batsman and keeper who also scored two centuries for his country's U-19s, which he vice-captained, and plays for the Sri Lanka Cricket XI and Schools Invitation XI for one day and Twenty20 cricket. Dinesh Chandimal started his cricket career as a teenager at Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda. Later he moved to Ananda College, Colombo and captained Ananda College under-17 cricket team and proved his capabilities. In 2008, he was appointed as 1st XI cricket captain of Ananda College and led his team to 13 outright wins in a season, which rewrote the history of Sri Lankan school cricket. Also he became the first schoolboy cricketer to break the 1,000 run mark with a total of 1,580 runs, which makes him one of the highest run getters in a school cricket season and won Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Award in 2009. Shortly after completing a prolific school season for Ananda he joined NCC cricket club. He made his international debut during the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies, playing in Sri Lanka's group games against New Zealand and Zimbabwe in the initial group stage and then playing against Australia in the Super Eights. After also playing against New Zealand in a Twenty20 match in Florida, Chandimal was selected for an ODI tri-series in Zimbabwe, where the two sides also played India. He made his debut against Zimbabwe, scoring an unbeaten 10 as his side cruised to a nine-wicket win and then registered his maiden international century by scoring 111 runs off 118 balls against India, an innings that helped his side both win the match (by six wickets) and knock India out of the tournament. He also became the youngest Sri Lankan to score an ODI century. Chandimal made his Test debut for Sri Lanka in December 2011, in the second Test of the series against South Africa in Durban. On debut he made half-centuries (58 and 54) in each of Sri Lanka's innings. During the 2012 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, he was bought for $50,000 by the Rajasthan Royals.