Wanuja Sahan – a genuine all-rounder in the making
Wanuja Sahan is that genuine all-rounder Sri Lanka is in the hunt
Ever since the conclusion of the Sri Lanka Under-19 team’s tour of England this year, the cricketing fraternity has been observing the progress of Wanuja Sahan, a promising young left-arm spinner who played a crucial role in enabling Sri Lanka to win their maiden Youth Test Series in England.
Wanuja’s cricketing journey began at the tender age of eight. He showed keen interest in the sport during his childhood, playing softball cricket along with his two brothers. As time went by Wanuja was groomed under the watchful eyes of his first coach Ajith Pethangoda, who taught him the basics of cricket during the time he attended Sri Chandrasekara Maha Vidyalaya, Horethuduwa, where he studied up to Grade 8.
During his initial years Wanuja operated as a chinaman bowler and played for the Under-13 team for three years. From 2013 he was a consistent performer with both the bat and the ball and he was among the leading wicket takers and run scorers for three consecutive years in the Division III category.
As his career progressed one of his school coaches, Asanka Indrajith, encouraged him to change his bowling action. It was after this he became a left-arm spinner. This enabled him to bowl with more accuracy.
Meanwhile, the cricket enthusiasts at St. Peter’s College, Colombo kept a close eye on this promising youngster. After three years of consistent performances as an all-rounder for Chandrasekara MV, Wanuja decided to join St. Peter’s College in 2016 and it turned out to be the turning point of his budding career.
Under the guidance of former Sri Lanka Test opener Malinda Warnapura, Wanuja began to show his capabilities as an all-rounder at Under-15 level in 2017. He scored over 300 runs and claimed 20 wickets in five matches for St. Peter’s. As a reward for his consistency, Wanuja was appointed as vice captain of the team. The year after he scored 400 runs and bagged 43 wickets in the 2018/19 season. He proved his versatility as an all-rounder during the Battle of the Saints big match encounter.
His most memorable performance was in 2022, where he scored a century to drag the St. Peter’s from jaws of defeat. That performance eventually enabled the Peterites to regain the Rev. Fr. Peter Pillai Memorial Shield after five years in their 48th annual Limited Overs encounter. It was even more significant for Wanuja as he was also the captain of St. Peter’s.
While recalling his journey, Wanuja recalled that his coaches including Malinda Warnapura, Roger Wijesooriya and Chrishantha Peiris had been confident about his prospects of representing the country at the Under-19 level. In 2021, he received his maiden call up in to the national youth team, a reward for his consistency and dedication.
“It’s a dream every cricketer at school level wants to achieve. I am pleased that my dedication and sacrifices paid off,” he recalled.
The former St. Peter’s skipper represented his country on 11 occasions and bagged 15 wickets at an impressive bowling average 20.52. He was an integral part of the Under-19 setup when Sri Lanka beat then Youth World Cup champions Bangladesh and the formidable Englishmen on their backyard. He was also a part of the Under-19 Asia Cup and World Cup teams.
“I think I was quite fortunate to grow under the shades of National Youth head coaches Avishka Gunawardane and Jehan Mubarak. They told me to play according to my instincts and concentrate on the basics of the game and that enabled me to play with confidence on the field.” Wanuja noted.
The 19-year-old all-rounder elaborated on the challenges that he had to encounter while adjusting his game plan according to the pitch and the conditions.
“In Sri Lanka we have pitches that are suitable for spinners. However in the UAE we have to be patient on docile pitches. West Indies offers pace and bounce and in England we have to bowl into the rough patches continuously. Accuracy is the key if we are to be successful anywhere in the world,” he explained.
Despite all his achievements there is an incident which he wants to forget — the quarter-final loss against Afghanistan. Even though he did not play that match it remains to be a painful memory for Wanuja.
“We had won all four matches in the first round in the Youth World Cup, but the unexpected loss against Afghanistan was a bitter pill to swallow to all of us. Eventually we had to settle in for the sixth place and that was the only heartbreak I have in my Under-19 career.”
In 2021, he joined NCC with the intention of making his first class debut, but his former coach Malinda Warnapura encouraged him to join Ace Capital Cricket Club, as it would be easier for a youngster to develop and cement the position in the Playing XI. Soon after the successful tour of England with the national Under-19 team, Wanuja made his first class debut this year for Ace Capital. His first class debut was similar to putting a duck to water. In his debut season Wanuja took 31 wickets at an average of 13.80.
He praised the Ace Capital head coach Harsha Cooray and captain Lasith Croospulle for giving him confidence. Following his dream start to first class, his first coach at national level, Avishka Gunawardane, praised the young left-arm spinner.
“Initially when I saw him for the first time, he had an orthodox action. There was a quality that impressed me — his accuracy. During the World Cup he played second fiddle to Dunith Wellalage, but as time progressed we identified that he was most effective with the new ball,” Gunawardane explained, while adding on that it was not a surprise to see Wanuja’s consistent performances at the domestic level.
Gunawardane also believes that the national selectors should observe his progress closely as his versatility as an all-rounder will be useful for Sri Lanka cricket in years to come. He also urged Wanuja to concentrate on his role with the bat, so that it will improve his chances of being chosen for a place in the emerging and ‘A’ squads and ultimately represent his country at the highest level.
Wanuja is aware about the challenges that lies ahead of him. He is following the footsteps of legendary left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Wanuja’s dream is to become a genuine all-rounder for Sri Lanka across all three formats. With the 2023 World Cup in the horizon Wanuja’s entry to the national setup could come handy, at a time when genuine all-rounders play crucial roles to their teams.