Vijayakanth Viyaskanth may or may not be a cricketer who would rise through the ranks in Sri Lankan cricket. He is currently playing in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), representing Jaffna Sttalions. He was seen by all those who tuned in to watch him bowl in his team's match against Colombo Kings on Friday.
Viyaskanth, a leg-spinner, bowled four overs in the innings to pick up one wicket for 29 runs. But his on-field performance was only the secondary story. The fact that he took the field as a member of his team itself was of great importance. The reason is the place where the 19-year old comes from - Jaffna, in northern Sri Lanka.
Now, you may wonder what is special about a player hailing from the city his team seeks to represent. The answer is that he is the first cricketer not just born but also brought up in Jaffna to play in an internationally televised match.
For those who keep an eye on global affairs would know the importance of this city. It is the most prominent city in that part of Sri Lanka which is dominated by the Tamil community and which was under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This terrorist organisation was responsible for a bloody civil war and myriad terrorist attacks that turned the emerald island into a blood-stained one.
After the destruction of LTTE, efforts have been on to fully incorporate Jaffna and the northern region in general, into the cultural mainstream of the country. This is why Viyaskanth's historic appearance holds great value.
Even though the greatest Sri Lankan cricketer of all time, Muttiah Muralitharan himself was a Tamil, his cricketing roots lay out of the northern region. Since cricket is one of the strongest indicators of society at large, the emergence of cricketers from the battered region will be a great sign for the country.
From a purely cricketing angle, it would also open up another region of the country for the extraction of valuable cricketing talent. The day when a northerner like Viyaskanth represents Sri Lanka in international cricket would be a truly memorable one.
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