Â鶹APP

TILLAKARATNE by NAPARAZZI from

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Tillakaratne Dilshan

T Dilshan manages to avoid the spotlight better than most other batsmen with more than 16,000 runs in international play. Dilshan has performed above and above what the club required of him, from a strong finisher to an explosive start. Not to mention, his effective off-spinners have frequently caused batsmen problems, particularly when the circumstances are favourable for spinners.

He sacrificed his all for the country, and like a fine wine, he has matured with time. He will be remembered as one of the greatest players in the history of contemporary cricket after announcing his retirement from all international competitions.

1. He had his first exposure to cricket in high school

T Dilshan was born on October 14, 1976, in Kalutara, Sri Lanka, to a Malay father and a Sinhalese mother. Before transferring to Kalutara Vidhyalaya, Dilshan first completed his schooling at Jaffna Sinha Madya Maha Vidhyalaya in Jaffna for a few years. Dilshan initially encountered cricket while attending Kalatura Vidhyalaya.

2. He converted to Buddhism at the age of 16

Seokguram Buddha by Richardfabi from

Dilshan switched to Buddhism, his mother’s religion, when he was just 16 years old, leaving Islam behind.

Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan was his previous name; despite having a Muslim name, he and his brothers, according to his coach, practised Buddhism in their early years. Dilshan formally converted to Buddhism from Islam after his parents divorced.

3. Dilshan made his Test debut against Zimbabwe

Dilshan changed to Buddhism, his mother’s faith, at the young age of 16, leaving behind his previous religion of Islam.

Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan was his previous name; although having a Muslim name, he and his brothers reportedly practised Buddhism in their early years, according to his coach. Dilshan formally switched from Islam to Buddhism after his parents divorced.

4. He scored 21 ODI centuries as an opener, in the span of 7 years

Dilshan could never regain the same form he had after the success he had in his second Test. Although he occasionally made a minor contribution, he was severely out of shape, and at the beginning of 2001, he was fired from the Test team.

Despite being consistently chosen for ODI matches after making his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 1999, he spent the majority of 2001–2002 warming the benches.

5. He has a shot named after him

Cricket wicket-keeper by GWO from

Dilshan expanded his arsenal of shots in the 2009 World T20, including a shot in which the ball is lifted up and over the wicketkeeper’s head. He may have prepared this shot while preparing for the Delhi Daredevils in 2009, as he used it to great effect during the World Cup that year.

Despite looking a lot like a scoop over the short fine leg, the stroke was given the nickname “Dilscoop” in honour of Dilshan and has since been copied by several other players, including AB de Villiers and Brendon McCullum.

6. His former wife married his teammate 

Upul-Tharanga by Pakistan Cricket Board from

His first spouse, Nilanka Withanage, with whom he had a single kid after a rocky marriage, filed for divorce from him in 2008. While Upul Tharanga, a teammate of Dilshan’s, was engaged to his ex-wife during the IPL, Dilshan wed Tele-actress Manjula Thilini.

Dilshan received a summons to appear in court and pay damages to his ex-wife and their child from the marriage. Despite the fact that Dilshan disregarded the court summons issued, there was reportedly a compromise wherein Dilshan would pay 20,000 LKR as compensation each month.

7. Dilshan was the top scorer in the 2011 World cup

2011 World Cup, in which Sri Lanka advanced to the finals, featured Dilshan as its highest scorer. He scored 282 runs in the opening partnership with Tharanga, setting a World Cup record for the most runs scored in the opening match in a World Cup. In an over against Mitchell Johnson, he set a record by becoming the first batsman to hit six fours.

8. He scored his highest scores right before retirement 

In 2013, Dilshan took part in his final Test match for Sri Lanka. Dilshan’s Test score of 193 against England at Lord’s came just a few years before his retirement.

Despite scoring a duck in the first innings of the match, Dilshan struck 57 in his final-ever Test innings. In 87 Tests, he scored 5492 runs for an admirable average of 40.98 before retiring.

9. Dilshan is what one can call a late bloomer

TM Dilshan by Amal316 from

Dilshan is what might be described as a late bloomer. He now holds the record for the most runs scored in ODIs after the age of 35 with 4500 runs recorded. Sanath Jayasuriya, a former teammate, is the only other batter to have amassed more than 4000 runs after the age of 35.

He also holds the T20I cricket record for scoring the most ducks, with eight ducks. Additionally, in 2011, he completed the triple century feat by scoring hundreds in each of the game’s three versions. In total, he is just the fifth batter to set the record.

10. He is part of a presidential task force

Muttiah Muralitharan by Bollywood Hungama from

Dilshan and Muralitharan are both members of the presidential task team to fight kidney disease. Additionally, he openly backs Mahindra Rajapaksha, which has drawn varied reactions from his supporters.

His father was not keen on Dilshan becoming a cricketer as he played the sport for his son’s bad grades. However, Dilshan’s mother supported his career in cricket and his father later came to be his biggest fan.