'I had to put in extra effort'

Former captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team and Royal Challengers Bangalore’s key player (RCB) Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan, began as a soccer player and cultivated an in interest in cricket much later. “My father played soccer quite regularly and that’s how I picked up the sport. I used to play cricket on the streets and I didn’t think that one day, I would end up playing for my country,” Dilshan shares.

The cricketer loves to do whatever he wants to the fullest.

He loves shopping to start with and you dare not distract him when he is at it. “Let me first shop and then I’ll come back to you,” he says during his recent visit to a store. He was too busy shopping to even notice the train of reporters behind him, waiting to grab his attention. But the cricketer didn’t budge until he had shopped to his heart’s content.
Dilshan brought his family along on the Indian Premier League (IPL) tour last time but this year, they’re conspicuous by their absence. “School and exams have kept my family busy, so they decided to stay back. Hopefully, they will come along next season,” he quips.

He is aggressive on the field and that’s what the spectators got to see during the match between the RCB and Pune Warriors India, where Dilshan and Chris Gayle together pulled off a spectacular show. “The best moment for me this IPL was when Chris made 175 runs in 66 balls which is the highest, unbeaten score this season. I am glad that I was with Chris when that happened,” he states. 

It is easily Dilshan’s grit, determination and above all, his tactful ways that always gets him to stay on the field longer than his team mates. An injury delayed Dilshan’s entry into the IPL this year but he says, “I had to put in extra effort to make sure that I bounce back into the game. The injury did leave me feeling a little weak but I managed to get back on track, sooner than expected.”

Off the field, Dilshan is as playful as he can get. In addition to doing things related to cricket, Dilshan is a total foodie and a travel freak. “I miss my family during the IPL but when we are together, we travel extensively, shop a lot and even explore as many cuisines as we can, seafood being our favourite,” he avers.

Dilshan hasn’t had enough of the IPL and confesses that he is more than looking forward to a brand new season of the world’s most popular cricketing format.