Tilakaratne Dilshan is currently with TG20 franchise Khammam Aces for the inaugural edition of the league.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Nagara Gopal\n <\/p>\n![\"lightbox-info\"\/](\"https:\/\/assetsss.thehindu.com\/theme\/images\/SSRX\/lightbox-info.svg\")
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Tilakaratne Dilshan is currently with TG20 franchise Khammam Aces for the inaugural edition of the league.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Nagara Gopal\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Country first<\/b><\/p>\n
Cricketing migrations to Australia are the norm, not away from it. For the women\u2019s game, Australian systems have been the holy grail, led by a senior women\u2019s side that is head and shoulders above its competition. But for Dilshan, that Sri Lankan crest he had worn on his chest for nearly two decades meant more.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a Sri Lankan captain, I\u2019m happy for my daughter to play for Sri Lanka. Yes, we live in Australia. Every facility is there. The pathways are very good, and there is no difference between boys and girls. But as a Sri Lankan, I do want her to play for Sri Lanka,\u201d Dilshan stated.<\/p>\n
His wife was unsure about the move. Call it a father\u2019s veto, if you must. Limmy, a teenager with a life and friends in Australia, could have thrown a fit. But she immediately got on board.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember the first day she had a trial. We landed in Colombo at 11.30 or 12 o\u2019clock at night. It was 2 am by the time we got home. She had a game the next morning. She played, took four wickets, and scored fifty-odd. On the way back home, she threw up while on the road. The time difference and the strain of it were a bit much. But she was ready. She always delivers what I ask of her. There\u2019s no complaining or saying she\u2019s tired,\u201d Dilshan proudly declared.<\/p>\n
When performances didn\u2019t go her way, Dilshan and Limmy were out late to hit the nets.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if she\u2019s come back late from a game, if she hasn\u2019t performed well, she\u2019ll say, \u2018Thaathi (Sinhalese term for father), let\u2019s go to the nets.\u2019 That could be at 10 pm. I would have to book indoor nets, and we\u2019d go and train for an hour.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see the change in where her mum is now. She was unsure before, but she\u2019s so happy with how Limmy has come along,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
For Limmy, it is also an opportunity to carry on her father\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m actually really proud to be his daughter and to start a career, not because of him, but inspired by him really, and I\u2019m really happy that I have this figure behind me, supporting me and always there for me whenever I need him.\u201d<\/p>\n
When she made the national U-19 side, Limmy distinctly remembers Dilshan saying, \u201cYou\u2019re following in my footsteps. You have to be better than me. Try and be better than me!\u201d<\/p>\n
A day after Sportstar caught up with Limmy, Dilshan looks at her laughing as she brushes off the pressure those lines come with and can\u2019t help but smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s totally different from me. She\u2019s a leg spinner, I\u2019m an off spinner. I\u2019m right-handed, she\u2019s left-handed. My only message to her has always been that she needs to be a good cricketer in all three departments. When she started playing, she was a very poor fielder. As her father and one of the best fielders in the world, I was a bit disappointed when she would drop catches. We set a target for that too. I heard she was good in one of these games and put in some good stops in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Limmy, Thaathi is the north star. Coaches at different levels may give her countless tips, but nothing happens without her father hearing about it and giving his thoughts on its validity. That means the cricketer and coach in Dilshan is always on, but it\u2019s a relationship bedrock he has come to savour.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of children don\u2019t want to listen to their fathers. They only want advice. I am quite happy that Limansa listens to me. Even when coaches try to change something, she will bring it to me first. I always encourage trying everything. If it doesn\u2019t work, go back to your basics!\u201d<\/p>\n
Career lessons<\/b><\/p>\n
As a father, seeing systems emerge for his daughter to discover her cricketing sensibilities within is a huge relief for Dilshan. The women\u2019s vertical in Sri Lanka has seen pathbreaking women, performances, and a few key victories that have made compelling arguments for investments in infrastructure, know-how and staff.<\/p>\n
What Limmy can only learn from someone like her father, which is perhaps most important, is managing expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve told her that sometimes she might get dropped, even if her performances are okay. It\u2019s happened to me too. In 2008, I was benched. I went back to domestic cricket, scored heavily, and won games, but still didn\u2019t get highlighted enough to make it back. I was batting at no.6 or 7. I then pitched myself as an opener to the management. I knew Sanath (Jayasuriya) was retiring in the 2009 season, and that space was there to take. I went back to the domestic scene and scored heavily, batting till the 25th and 26th over.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2008-09, I got an opportunity to play as an opener, that too in the squad, not the eleven, when we toured Pakistan (now infamous for the attack on the Lankan player bus in Lahore). I piled up runs, got 140-odd, and even won Player of the Series. But I got that chance because Upul Tharanga pulled something just before the toss in the opening game. That opening slot was mine thereafter till I retired. I took risks, but they worked. I always tell Limmy that sometimes, as cricketers, we have to take risks. She knows disappointments, drops will come and understands they are part of the package.\u201d<\/p>\n
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