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Conviction sets Dilshan apart

Nandita Sridhar

He is scoring very quickly, is in great form: Jayawardene

— Photo: S. Subramanium

MERCURIAL OPENER: Sri Lanka’s recent good showing with the bat has largely been due to the exploits of Tillakaratne Dilshan, who with his aggressive batting has notched up centuries on the trot.

Nagpur: There was a time when Tillakaratne Dilshan’s many talents made it difficult to slot him. As can be the case with someone who can cut, drive and pull comfortably, and someone who shows even a slight willingness to adapt, Dilshan was pushed up and down the batting order.

But the dashing, audacious manner needed security to appear convincing. Without that, Dilshan was struggling to hold on to his place in the team.

Unorthodox, aggressive batsmen rely on conviction. What sets apart batsmen like Dilshan, Virender Sehwag and M.S. Dhoni from the less consistent non-conformists is conviction.

It’s all very well when the runs are coming, when the maverick is still a subject of curiosity for bowlers, and when the batsman himself is in love with his many eccentricities; but the challenge is when the runs dry up. Without the conviction to stick to their technique and to go through with their shots in the way that suits them best, they risk getting exposed.

Lean patch

Dilshan went through a lean patch in the early 2000s and was dropped from the squad. But he staged a strong comeback in 2003, determined not to compromise his batting character.

He finished nine Tests in 2005 with an average of 56.50, and did even better in 2007, averaging 60 after four Tests. The key was to stick to what he did best — attack and back his technique.

The confidence and conviction worked, and Dilshan looked visibly relaxed. Despite being removed from the ODI squad in September last year, the decision to let Dilshan open in January this year proved a big turnaround.

He had earlier expressed a desire to open, and was asked by the then skipper Mahela Jayawardene to open in domestic cricket. Dilshan succeeded instantly with a thrilling 188. Kumar Sangakkara was convinced, and sent him to open in the one-day series against Pakistan.

Dilshan backed himself and his captain. In his first three matches as an opener, in the three-match series, he made 42, 76 and an unbeaten 137. After a mixed start against India in the home ODI series, he made a slightly out-of-character 97, but followed it up at the Champions Trophy with a blazing 92-ball 106 against South Africa in the Champions Trophy.

His one-day form extended to Tests. There were back-to-back hundreds against Bangladesh, and centuries against Pakistan, New Zealand, and more recently, two hundreds — in Ahmedabad and Mumbai — against the Indians.

Unsettling opener

Quick-footed, positive and with strong arms, Dilshan can be unsettling as an opener, like Sehwag. Like his Indian counterpart, there’re no periods of introspection, no respect given to the changing qualities of the ball, and no special liking towards any type of bowler.

Like Sehwag, it’s all done with a hint of a smile.

One of his most destructive performances came at the World Twenty20 in England, where he finished as the Man-of-the-Series with 317 runs at an average of 52.83.

“Opening has certainly helped me. I have got 10 centuries. I have changed my mindset and started converting my 30s and 40s into big scores,” said Dilshan after he’d set up Sri Lanka’s series-levelling win at Nagpur.

His former skipper Jayawardene said his role as an opener was crucial to the team’s dynamic. “He is doing Sanath’s (Jayasuriya) job. He is scoring very quickly, is in great form and is giving us good starts,” he said, while explaining how Sri Lanka could risk sending Jayasuriya down the order.

Dilshan’s back-to-back hundreds in this series have been a treat. He has batted on his own terms, unafraid to risk an awkward edge or two to take the initiative.

Indian skipper Dhoni admitted to the difficulties of bowling to Dilshan. “He’s a very aggressive batsman and has been very consistent. He is someone who tries to hit every ball, and goes for his shots.

“On his day he can be very dangerous. He has got all the shots — the cut, the pull or the shot over the bowler’s head — and that makes it difficult to find a particular slot to bowl to him. We just have to keep trying,” said Dhoni.

Dilshan’s abilities as an opener are yet to be tested in Australia or South Africa, but there’s no saying where he could go with a secure batting slot behind him. Cricket could do with more of Dilshan.

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