Rising star Ravindu Rasantha aims to emulate his idol Mahela
As the national cricket team seeks long term solutions to end the crisis that has been haunting Sri Lanka cricket ever since the departure of Mahela Jayawardane, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, here is a story of a promising youngster who is determined to make his father’s dream a reality.
Sri Lanka had a dismal Under 19 World Cup in South Africa in which they returned home empty-handed finishing an embarrassing 10th position.
Despite the debacle they had to encounter in the rainbow nation, Ravindu Rasantha burst into the lime light being the second highest run-getter in the tournament. Rasantha provided the silver lining for Sri Lanka who failed to progress to the knockout stage. The elegant Thomian right hander impressed in the matches against India and Nigeria, with scores of 49 and 102 not out respectively while he also scored a fighting 66 which came in a losing cause in the Plate final against England. He scored 286 runs in the tournament at an average of 71.50 and was also included in the ICC team of the tournament.
Ravindu revealed his ambitions of representing the senior National team in the near future and expressed his thoughts about the recently concluded Under 19 World Cup, in an interview with the Sunday Times.
Ravindu’s cricketing journey began at a young age when he joined Sinha Cricket Academy and then played for Dharmashoka College where he learnt the basics of the game that he loved.
He is determined to make his father’s dream a reality.
“My father is my inspiration. He wants me to become a professional cricketer and represent the National team. That’s my ultimate goal,” he said.
In every sportsperson’s life, their family members play a crucial role in enabling them to have a successful career. He recalled how his family members stood by his side in the hour of need.
“I am extremely grateful for the sacrifices my family has made to chase my dream. I hope that I will be a successful cricketer and make my country proud,” he said.
A member of the victorious Thomian team which won the 140th ‘Battle of the Blues’ after 12 long years, he recalled memories from that match.
“When I was at Dharmasoka College we wanted to win the tournament rather than the ‘Big Match’. But when I joined S. Thomas’ College there were a lot of expectations to win the big match. We had quality players such as captain Sithara Hapuhinna and vice-captain Kalana Perera. Our passion, commitment and dedication enabled us to win the 140th encounter,” he recalled with a sense of satisfaction.
Leading up to the big match, Ravindu got his maiden call-up to the Under 19 National team. He said that it was a dream come true for him.
Furthermore he said that the experience he got during the big match, moulded him to play in the Under 19 team.
“I haven’t played in front of a huge crowd. It was a great atmosphere and I think that experience helped me to cope up with the pressure during the U-19 World Cup,” he said.
Before the U-19 World Cup, Sri Lanka played a tri-series and emerged as champions. But they were not able to live up to the expectations in South Africa.
According to Ravindu, the pitches that were in West Indies suited both spinners and fast bowlers but in South Africa the pitches were suitable for fast bowlers and spinners were ineffective.
Despite the pace and bounce in South Africa, Ravindu went on to be the leading run scorer for Sri Lanka. He praised head coach Hashan Tillakaratne for his success in South Africa.
“The team management advised me to play according to my instincts. Leading up to the tournament I did not have a specific target (amount of runs) to achieve. All I wanted was to make the team win.”
He believed that Sri Lanka’s fortunes could have been better if they had won the game against New Zealand. He regarded that as the most disappointing moment in his Under 19 career.
Ravindu idolises Mahela Jayawardane and hopes to follow in the footsteps of his idol.
“Mahela Jayawardane is my idol. I love the way he bats and how he reacts in crunch situations. He is always calm under pressure and I always want to emulate him and play the game according to the spirit of cricket,” he said.
He loves to play against pace. Especially he loves to bat under pressure and this youngster prefers to bat at number three and he also revealed that his aim is to play for the SSC in the future.
The former head coach of the Under 19 National team Hashan Thillakaratne believed that he has a bright future ahead of him.
“Ravindu has improved immensely over the last six to eight months. He is an instinctive player and I certainly believe that he has the ability to play for one of the competitive clubs in Sri Lanka. The coaches must encourage him to develop his game to the next level. I think he will be a great servant for Sri Lanka cricket in the future,” predicted Thillakaratna.
Ravindu also thanked his school coaches Dinesh Kumarasinghe and Saman Lasinka.
“I would like to thank my coaches Saman Lasinka (Dharmashoka College) and Dinesh Kumarasinghe (S. Thomas’ College) and all the fans who supported us all the time,” he said.
The future of Sri Lanka cricket looks promising. Youngsters such as Ravindu Rasantha provide a glimmer of hope about the future. If he performs consistently, he will be able to don the Sri Lankan jersey in the senior national team in the not too distant future.