Nipun Dhananjaya, the captain of Sri Lanka’s Emerging Team on the tour of England in 2022 who was also a member of the team at the 2020 U-19 World Cup, achieved his first-ever double century in a First-Class match for the Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) against Colts Cricket Club.
Since making his debut for SSC in the 2018-2019 Premier League Tournament, Dhananjaya has steadily improved with consistent performances throughout the past.
As a left-handed opener, Dhananjaya posted his first 200 off 303 balls with 21 fours, demonstrating that cricket is a significant part of his identity.
In an interview Dhananjaya disclosed that his ultimate goal in cricket is to represent his country and target 10,000 runs.
He revealed that he played and practiced cricket since he was in Grade 3 studying at Dhammissara National College, Nattandiya.
He had the chance to play for his school’s under-13 team in the B group and was later appointed as the captain of the under-15 team that toured Malaysia and has come a long way in satisfying his hunger for the game.
As a promising player with the bat and ball, Dhananjaya played a significant role in helping St. Joseph Vaz College’s cricket team in crisis moments.
He won the runners-up award for the schoolboy cricketer of the year in the under-19 category in the 2016/2017 season and for his excellent performances and contribution to St. Joseph Vaz College’s cricket team, Dhananjaya was awarded the Vazians Gold Award at the College Colours Night in 2016.
In March 2021 he was a member of the SSC squad that won the 2020-21 SLC Twenty20 championship for the first time since 2005.
On March 24, 2021, he made his List A debut for SSC in the 2020-21 Major Clubs Limited Over Tournament and was selected for the SLC Reds team in the 2021 SLC Invitational T20 League tournament. As a rising star Dhananjaya has demonstrated that being optimistic through adversity can mould a player to achieve his goals in life and said the 200 he made against Colts will rate in the top shelf as the opposition had several Sri Lanka players.
He recalled the encouragement given to him by his family and the coaches at SSC that inspired him while he sees Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara as one from whom he could learn many lessons along the way.
(The writer is Media and PR Executive at the SSC)