Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan
Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan, (born 14 October 1976, as Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and a former captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team. He is popularly known as Tillakaratne Dilshan.Often regarded as one of the most innovative batsmen of all time, Dilshan is one such rare cricketer who can bat, bowl, field and keep wickets. He is an aggressive right-hand batsman who invented the scoop, which has come to be known as the dilscoop, that hits the ball over the keeper. An opening batsman, he is also a capable off-break bowler. A livewire in the field, he usually fields at the point region.
Dilshan made his Test and ODI debut during the Sri Lankan cricket team’s tour to Zimbabwe in 1999. He is also the second cap for Sri Lanka in Twenty20 Internationals. He is the first cricketer in the history of the game to score hundreds in all formats as a captain.
Dilshan won the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year award at the 2009 ICC Awards for his 96 off 57 balls against West Indies in the semi-final of the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England. He also won man of the series trophy for his individual batting performances in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 tournament. He was also a key member of the team that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and was part of the team that made the finals of 2007 Cricket World Cup, 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and 2012 ICC World Twenty20.
He is the fourth Sri Lankan and eleventh player overall to score 10,000 ODI runs.Being the third overall and first Sri Lankan to score 1,500 runs in Twenty20 Internationals,he is also the first player to hit 200 fours in T20Is. Dilshan scored 1000 or more ODI runs in a calendar year four times and never failed to amass fewer than 800 runs in any calendar year between 2009 and 2015.
Dilshan was under-estimated in cricket world as an ordinary player when he batted at number 6 and 7, unlike his revered teammates Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. When he gained the opening batting position, Dilshan became one of the finest cricketers in the world and a legend in modern cricketing history. His quick progression can be seen in his stats: after he moved to the opening position, he scored 21 ODI centuries and all his Test and T20I centuries.
In August 2016 Dilshan announced that he would retire from both ODI and T20I cricket at the end of the series against Australia. He retired from ODI cricket on 28 August 2016 and from T20I cricket on 9 September 2016.
Personal life:
Dilshan born on 14 October 1976 in Kalutara to a family of a Malay father and a Sinhalese mother. He had his first education at Jaffna Sinhala Madya Maha Vidyalaya in Jaffna for few years, and then at the Kalutara Vidyalaya, where he started his cricket career as a teenager. Dilshan converted from Islam to Buddhism at the early age of 16, and was known as Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan before his conversion. However, his childhood coach Ranjan Paranavitana said even though Dilshan carried a Muslim name, he and his brothers and sisters followed their mother’s religion from their childhood and once his parents separated he officially changed his religion and name.
Dilshan was married to Nilanka Vithanage, and they have one boy- Resadu Tillakaratne. After divorcing Dilshan, Nilanka filed a case for giving monthly payments for the child’s future, against Dilshan. He was issued with a notice to appear in court after 2011 Cricket World Cup, but he refused some of these notices. The case was later settled with Dilshan to pay about 200,000 LKR each month for his ex-wife and his son.
Dilshan is now married to Sri Lankan teledrama actress Manjula Thilini. Their marriage was celebrated in India during the 2008 IPL series. Dilshan has two daughters and one son from this second marriage. Their eldest daughter is Resandi Linama Tillakaratne, and second is Lasadi Dihasansa Tillakaratne. Their only son, Dihela Dinhath Tillakaratne, is the youngest.
Dilshan’s brother, Tillakaratne Sampath, is a first-class cricketer in Sri Lanka.
Dilshan is a popular icon at home. So, he is very occasionally participated in many local events and television programs. He was also appointed as a special judge in Sirasa Superstar, Generation 4. He also participated in many other entertainment events as well, due to his publicity through his wife being a former popular actress.
With the invention of his master stroke play-Dilscoop, Dilshan models his fashion line with the name ‘Dil Scoop’.
On 23 October 2014, Dilshan opened a small-scale luxury hotel, named as “Hotel D Pavilion Inn”, situated at Stafford Lane in Kirulapana. The hotel was opened in the presence of the former president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse.
After retired from international cricket, Dilshan accompany with his wife released a video song titled Hema Sansaraye.
International Records & Achievements:
Tests:
He has the highest runs scored in Lord’s Cricket Ground by a Sri Lankan, where he scored 193 runs in 2013.
Highest partnership for the fifth wicket 280 by Tillakaratne Dilshan and Thilan Samaraweera against Bangladesh in 2005.
One-Day Internationals:
He is the second Sri Lankan to have 3 ODI centuries above 150, after Sanath Jayasuriya, where he has 4 scores above 150 in ODIs.
Highest individual score without a six in the innings – Dilshan scored 161* with only 22 fours against Bangladesh. This was surpassed by David Warner in 2016.
Dilshan also holds the record for most runs by a sub continent batsman in an ODI Tri series away from home. Dilshan achieved this feat during CB Series in Australia 2011/12, where he scored 513 runs.
Dilshan has scored the highest ODI runs by any batsman since the age of 35. – He has scored 4,674 ODI runs scored after 35 years of age.
Most runs as an opener for Sri Lanka in a calendar year – 1207 runs by Dilshan in the year 2015.
Twenty20 Internationals:
Highest run scorer for Sri Lanka – Dilshan has scored 1,889 runs in 80 matches with average 28.19. He is second in the list of all time at the retirement.
Highest individual score in T20I by a Sri Lankan Dilshan scored 104* against Australia in 2013.
He has the most number of catches in T20Is by a Sri Lankan 31 in 80 matches.
Highest partnership for the first wicket 124 by Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya against West indies in 2009.
Highest partnership for the fourth wicket 104* by Tillakaratne Dilshan and Jeevan Mendis against Australia in 2011.
Most number of 4s – 223 in 80 matches. He is the first player to achieve 200 fours.
World Cups:
Highest individual score by a Sri Lankan – 161* by Dilshan against Bangladesh in 2015.
Highest opening partnership (runs) 282 by Upul Tharanga (133) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (144) against Zimbabwe in 2011.
Career statistics:
Test
Matches: 87
Runs scored: 5492
100s/50s: 16/23
Top score: 193
ODI
Matches: 330
Runs scored: 10290
100s/50s: 22/47
Top score: 161*
