Dushan Hemantha – on the doorstep to bliss
Dushan Hemantha (R) during Sri Lanka A series against England Lions
Leg-spinning all-rounder Dushan Hemantha was on the verge of making his international debut during the second Test match between Sri Lanka and Ireland played at Galle. But a change of hearts by the team think-tank his prolonged international debut. Sri Lanka played an unchanged XI in second game, playing two spinners and two fast bowlers as in the first one and the wait continues for Hemantha who is in his late 20s now.
He was drafted into the test side following his impressive performances against England Lions. He bagged 11 wickets at an average of 11.45 in the unofficial limited over series to win the man-of-the-series award. Like most other cricketers Hemantha has an inspiration story and has been rewarded for his patience and perseverance.
Hemantha’s passion and enthusiasm was identified by his father, Sujith Hemantha at the tender age of seven. Initially he showed promising signs of being an off-spinner while learning the art of bowling from his father, an experienced coach at school level.
“I was an off-spinner initially,” he said. “But my father wanted me to bowl leg-spin as it gives a better chance of bowling accurately and picking wickets.”
Having grown under the watchful eyes of his school coaches L.H. Sunil and Keerthi Gunaratne at St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya, he went on to captain his alma mater in all age groups.
“I think, being the captain helped my journey. I wanted to set high standards and I always worked hard to give my best to the team as a bowling allrounder.,” he said.
“Being the captain made me to realise the challenges we need to overcome, if we want to represent the country at the highest level”.
Hemantha was also fortunate to represent his school for four consecutive years in the annual Battle of the Saints big match encounter. He also vice captained the side in the third year, in 2012, and took seven wickets, enabling St. Peter’s to win the 78th Battle of the Saints encounter. In 2010 St. Peter’s won the encounter after 32 years and it was Hemantha’s maiden big match appearance.
Hemantha regarded the last two seasons of his school career as his most memorable years. In the 2011/12 season he took 62 wickets and scored more than 500 runs. Similarly he took 60 wickets and scored 840 runs in the 2012/13 season to conclude his school career.
Besides his cricketing endeavours, Hemahtha is a South Asian Junior Athletics championships medallist. He won a bronze medal in the Men’s 1500m race. While he was progressing as a cricketer he also participated in zonal meets and sports meets, but never dreamt of achieving significantly as an athlete.
But his life took a turn in 2010 when the national athletic coach at the time, Sajith Jayalal invited Hemantha to join the junior national athletic squad. The coach had seen something special in him. At first Hemantha rejected the offer, but after a series of deliberations, he agreed. From there onward, he decided to do both the sports simultaneously for three years and ultimately managed to live up to the expectations by winning the bronze.
Hemantha returned home high with confidence and by now he had decided to refocus on achieving his childhood dream — to represent the national cricket team. Ever since making his first class debut in 2014 he had fluctuating fortunes throughout his career.
He spent his initial years with the Colts Cricket Club and then with Saracens Sports Club. He then joined Baduraliya Sports Club (2016/17) before moving to Navy Sports Club (2017/19). From 2017 Hemantha has been a consistent performer especially in shorter formats. He also showed his capabilities as an all-rounder in the first class arena, scoring 548 runs at an average of 42.15 and bagged 15 wickets at an impressive average of 25.41 in eight matches.
“I didn’t perform well in my initial career as a first class cricketer,” he admitted.
“But after a successful season for BRC, I was picked for the LPL by the Dambulla Aura team, captained by Dasun Shanaka and coached by former national head coach Mickey Arthur.”
He played only one match, but has had an invaluable experience to spend time with some international stars. “It motivates the local players to perform in front of global audience and take their game to the next level,” he said.
He was under close supervision of SLC spin bowling coaches headed by Piyal Wijethunga at the High Performance Centre based at the R. Premadasa Stadium. They played a key role in Hemantha’s progress as a leg-spinner.
Last season, 2022/23, he scored over 500 runs and took 40 plus wickets for BRC in the three-day tournament. Due to his remarkable performances as an all-rounder, Hemantha got his maiden call-up for the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team.
“It was a step closer to my great dream of representing Sri Lanka. My family members were pleased that I’m finally being rewarded for my commitment and dedication.”
In the National Super League Limited Overs Tournament held prior to the Ireland series, Hemantha played an instrumental role in Dambulla’s victorious campaign. He went on to take 13 wickets at an average of 13.61.
Avishka Gunawardane, who saw Hemantha from the close quarter during the ‘A’ team tour against England Lions, believes that Hemantha is certainly an investment for the future with his versatility as a bowling all-rounder in all three formats.
“He might be pivotal for the national team in the years to come,” Gunawardane predicted.