Who is Dunith Wellalage? Sri Lanka’s young impact man who challenged India in Asia Cup 2023

From humble roots to challenging one of the world’s cricketing giants in Asia Cup 2023, Dunith Wellalage’s journey is laced with determination and grit. He rose through the ranks, first making his mark by taking wickets and scoring runs charismatically in school cricket. His raw talent, unstinting spirit, and an unquenchable thirst to improve quickly caught the eyes of the selectors, who offered him a spot in the junior national team.

At the young age of 20, Wellalage had already represented Sri Lanka Under-19, where he grabbed eyeballs with his left-arm orthodox spin and lower-order hitting prowess. His consistent performances took him to the World Cup stage, where he impressed yet again under pressure.

FATHER’S SUPPORT

Cricket runs in the blood of the young spinner as his father, Suranga Wellalage, was a wicketkeeper-batsman who played a few games for the Prince of Wales team before changing careers. Wellalage soon relocated to St Joseph’s College in Colombo in search of a better, more established cricket facility. Sri Lankan cricketers such as Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne, and Thissara Perera are among the school’s illustrious alumni.

“I first saw him in a school match while he was playing for St Sebastian’s. The boy had wonderful timing and was a natural talent. He was very handy with the ball too,” said Roger Wijesuriya, the former Sri Lankan cricketer.

Born to a cricket-crazy family and being the heir to his father’s passion for the sport, Dunith Wellalage has indeed shouldered his father’s dreams exceptionally well. His quick rise in international cricket is just a glimpse into his potential to become one of Sri Lanka’s most reliable players in the coming years.

U19 WORLD CUP HEROICS

Wellalage made his debut on a big stage at the U-19 World Cup in the West Indies. Apart from Wellalage, that tournament had given the cricketing world several talented kids. Dewald Brevis and Indian youngsters Yash Dhull and Raj Angad Bawa stole the show in that tournament.

Wellalage was the leading wicket-taker in that U-19 World Cup, taking 17 wickets in six matches and scoring 264 runs with a century. During the Under-19 World Cup, Wellalage became the first Sri Lankan captain to score a century. It didn’t take long for him to make his senior team debut for Sri Lanka, as he was given the nod in the first ODI against Australia in Pallekele earlier this month. And guess his first international wicket? Steve Smith.

STUNS INDIA

Come Asia Cup 2023, Wellalage was ready to take a big leap, and he did so confidently, leaving a significant impact on one of the world’s strongest teams, India. He showcased his cricketing prowess with a brilliant five-wicket haul in the Asia Cup Super 4 match in Colombo. Wellalage’s wickets tally in the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match included heavyweights like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and KL Rahul.

Wellalage then showed that he was no mug with the bat as he remained unbeaten for 42 runs off 46 balls, almost taking Sri Lanka over the line. Arriving at the crease with Sri Lanka struggling at 99/6, the 63-run partnership between Wellalage and Dhananya de Silva caused India problems. Wellalage was the team’s standout performer with an all-around performance of 42*, 5/40, and two catches.

ONE FOR THE FUTURE

Wellalage’s hunger to continually evolve and deliver for the team has further raised hopes of him becoming a mainstay in the Sri Lankan senior team. His ability to pick key wickets and contribute valuable runs at the back end of the innings augurs well for Sri Lanka cricket’s future. Dunith Wellalage is undoubtedly Sri Lanka’s young impact man who, at the tender age of 20, is already challenging top-notch teams like India.