We adapted to the track brilliantly, says Dickwella

In his short international career so far, Niroshan Dickwella has already shown plenty of spunk and spirit. On Saturday (August 5) at the SSC ground, the wicketkeeper-batsman once again showcased his value to the Sri Lankan team with a chancy but entertaining half-century, marked by a variety of sweep shots that appeared premeditated.

“I used to play the sweep and the reverse sweep shots a lot. I backed my strength. It was the best option on a spinning wicket against (R) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja,” Dickwella said at the end of the third day of the second Test against India.

“It has been a small career, this is only my ninth Test match,” he went on. “I have to prove myself. I have scored some runs but that’s not enough. I have to raise my hand when the team is down and score runs. When I get the opportunity, I have to prove myself.”

Sri Lanka was shot out for just 183 in the first innings to trail India by 439, but gave a much better account of itself batting a second time around. Riding on a Kusal Mendis ton and Dimuth Karunaratne’s unbeaten 92, it reached 209 for 2, making for a fascinating day’s play. “We weren’t good in the first session,” Dickwella readily admitted. “We had plans before the second innings started -- how to handle spin and how to handle pressure. How to play the new ball. It was a long meeting during the lunch break and we executed those plans very well.

“We didn’t handle the situation properly (in the morning). We should have settled down a bit, but we didn’t. We could have settled down like in the evening session. We were more positive after lunch. I played my normal game. I swept about 80% of my shots.”

While batting appeared a lot easier post lunch, Dickwella said it was the adaptability that had stood his team in good stead. “Track is not easy, we adapted brilliantly. We had a plan and we executed it well and that’s the reason why we are 209 for 2.

“Kusal and Dimuth both are great players. They used the crease and swept well. Mendis has been a brilliant player in his small career.”

Dickwella started off as a legspinner at school in Kandy – Trinity College. “I was bowling legspin at school,” he revealed. “Our wicketkeeper was not feeling well one day and he failed to make it to the match. We were asked who was willing to keep wickets. I volunteered and I am continuing that.”

That turn, pun intended, has brought him nine Test caps, and 27 limited-overs international appearances so far. At 24, Dickwella is just taking baby steps at the highest level. More will certainly be heard of this spirited young man.