OTD| Star Sri Lanka all-rounder Tillakaratne Dilshan was born in 1976

Former Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan is celebrating his 47th birthday today. The veteran is one of the best from Sri Lanka to have played the game. With his innovative shots, he captured the imagination of every cricket fan across the world. His Dilscoop is still revered as one of the most creative shots in the game. The Sri Lankan impressed everyone with his aggressive approach to the game.

He would play with his same no-nonsense approach on any pitch and in any circumstances. A lot of teams nowadays focus on scoring runs with a positive intent but Tillakaratne Dilshan did this throughout his career.

Dilshan got to represent Sri Lanka for the first time in 1999. The Sri Lankan team was touring Zimbabwe and the talented opener got his opportunity in Bulawayo. In the second test of that series, he scored his maiden century in Harare. 

On the same tour, he got to make his ODI debut as well. Tillakaratne Dilshan always fancied playing in the One-Day internationals more than test cricket. His fast-flowing style helped him negotiate his way in ODIs much better than the longest format of the game. 

When Dilshan made his foray into the Lankan side he batted in the middle order but as he matured in his career, he was given the responsibility to open the innings which suited him the best. He relished his role as the opener as he could give a quick start to the game and exploit field restrictions in the powerplay. 

Dilshan’s biggest achievement of his career came in 2011 when he finished the ODI World Cup as the top run-scorer. The attacking opener scored 500 runs in the tournament playing a major part in taking Sri Lanka to the finals which they eventually lost to India. For his exceptional show in the biggest tournament of world cricket, he was named the ‘Team of the Tournament’ by the Apex Cricket Council.

After the 2011 World Cup Dilshan was entrusted with the responsibility of captaincy but his tenure was not as successful as he would have wanted. Poor results forced him to give up the captaincy in 2012 and he focused on his game. 

He retired from test cricket in 2013 after having a successful stint in the longest format of the game. Dilshan played 87 test matches and scored 5,492 runs at an average of 40.98. He had 16 centuries to his name in that period. From the limited-overs format, he announced his retirement on 25 August 2016. He played his last ODI three days later and big goodbye to international cricket. Dilshan scored more than 10,000 runs in his long ODI career. He is the fourth Sri Lankan to cross 10,000 runs. His legacy will always be cherished in the history of Sri Lankan cricket. His contributions as an opener would inspire future Sri Lankan openers to play this game the “Dilshan Way”.

For more Visit BJSports to access Exclusive News that is only for you, incisive analysis, and updates, and to keep up with all of the latest information on your remarkable cricket favorite players and teams. To ensure you never miss out, join in on the fun right away!