Dinesh Chandimal speaks

 


  I got a Cup .... which is not mine
                          -- Chandimal speaks

What does captain Dinesh Chandimal who was not the captain of the Sri Lanka team that won the T20 World Cup say after the victory? This is how Chandimal answered the questions put forward to him by a weekend newspaper when he had gone to visit his kith and kin for theSinhala New Year in Balapitiya:

*If you Dinesh Chandimal would say what sort of a character Dinesh Chandimal is .....
 A person who gives a lot of importance to humility.

*How do you interpret captaincy?
 I think ...


a captain is someone who treats every junior member upto the senior member in the team equally and is able to utilize the contribution of each one.

*What were you able to claim from leadership?
 Actually I never thought that I'd be given the post of captain of at such a tender age like this. But the most valuable thing I was able to acquire on getting the captainship at this age is the opportunity I got to extract a lot of advice from senior players like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena and Thillakarathna Dilshan. They helped me immensely in maintaining No. 1 position at World Gradings as a team and go forward. I learnt so many things within the framework of that advice. That was invaluable. It was a big fortune.

*When the T20 World Cup was on the horizon, what id you think of losing your position?
  Truly speaking ... I felt a bit of a sadness for having had to leave the team. But if there are more capable players in the team ... they should get an opportunity ... I thought. Finally, we managed to bring the Asia Cup to Sri Lanka. I was really happy about what the country received more than what I received.

*Did you donate your position on behalf of victory?
 At the New Zealand match for which I was forbidden to play, Lahiru Thirimanna who played on my behalf got more than 20 of our 120 runs. At the discussion that took place with I, the Selection Committee and Team Management ... targetting the next game after that victory in the match, I said that Thirimanna plays better than I. He was the hero of the Asia Cup tournament ... that he should be given my position ... and that team which achieved a big victory should go forward without any changes. I think that I did something more on that occasion than my giving leadership to the team. You may be aware of powers invested on a captain when choosing a team. But it was solely by having victory in mind that I gave an opportunity to Thirimanna. It was a great success. He got some 40 odd runs at the semi-finals. Ultimately, the hope I had in my mind ... the wish materialized exactly as I expected. As a player I also like if I get the chance to play in every game ... not only the Finals. The only thing in my mind was not whether I play or not .. it's how we are going to win the World Cup. If by chance we didn't win this World Cup, I would have felt very disappointed. But the joy I have today .....

*Are you sad that you weren't able to become the bridegroom at the wedding of this World Cup?
 Ammo ... no ... not at all. I think ... what I wanted was to embrace this Cup somehow or other. The other thing is ... it was not an unsuitable person who got the Cup. Lasith (Malinga) aiyya is by all means a really talented player in T20 matches. He proved that a fast bowler can become a successful captain. Because of that I also was able to touch the World Cup with my hands ... a day that I felt a joy like that ... I never experienced in my life.

Discussion with Divaina newspaper -- Indrajith Subasingha