Dasun Shanaka, the all-rounder ignored by the IPL teams
Dasun Shanaka vs India (Source: AP Newsroom)
Sri Lanka have put on two outstanding performances in the T20I series against India. Though they lost the first match, they won the second and made a strong comeback in the series.
There was one common factor for the visitors in the two matches. It was their skipper, Dasun Shanaka firing under pressure on both occasions.
1st Match Performance
In the first match of the series, Sri Lanka was batting second and was chasing a target of 163 runs. By the ninth over of the innings, the visitors found themselves reeling at 51 for four. They required 112 runs from there at a required rate of 9.6 runs per over.
It was at this stage that Dasun Shanaka walked out into the crease and played an impactful knock of 45 runs off 27 deliveries. He hit three fours and three sixes during his stay and batted with a strike rate of 166.67.
The only shortcoming of this knock was that he was not able to bat till the end and finish the match for Sri Lanka.
2nd Match Performance
The action shifted from Wankhede to Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune for the second match. The venue changed, but Shanaka's knack for scoring under pressure situations did not.
In this encounter, Sri Lanka was setting the target. This time Shanaka had somewhat of a base of 110 for four in the 13th over when he came out to bat. But if he failed to score in this situation, the visitors might have fallen short of a par score on a good batting wicket.
Dasun went all guns blazing and scored 56 runs off just 22 deliveries. He hit six sixes and two fours while maintaining a strike rate of 254.55. His innings helped Sri Lanka reach 206 runs in their 20 overs, which proved to be 16 runs too much for the 'Men in Blue'.
Shanaka, the man who performs under pressure
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Dasuna Shanaka vs India (Source: AP Newsroom)
The Sri Lankan skipper has an uncanny knack for coming out with flying colours whenever he is under pressure. Not only in these two matches of the series, but he has also done it for Sri Lanka time and again.
The biggest positive for Shanaka is that he is a great reader of match situations. It is not that he bats only in one gear, but he bats according to the demand of the situation and playing conditions.
Here are two examples of the versatility of the man
1.74 off 48 vs India, 27th February 2022
While batting first in this match, Sri Lanka was under serious pressure at 29 for four. At this stage, Dasun Shanaka walked out to bat and played a blinder of a knock scoring 74 runs off 38 deliveries.
His innings helped Sri Lanka reach 146 runs in their 20 overs. Although Sri Lanka lost the match, one cannot ignore the effort of Shanaka in the match where he scored 50.68% of the team runs.
2. 45 off 33 vs Bangladesh, 1st September 2022
In this match, Sri Lanka was chasing a target of 184 runs. At one stage, the Bangladeshi were on top having picked up four wickets of Sri Lanka for 77 runs.
Shanaka walked in at this stage and showed great maturity. He took time in the beginning while rotating the strike and getting himself adjusted to the conditions. As he got an idea he took a toll on the bowlers and helped his team reach the target with two wickets in hand and four balls remaining.
Dasun Shanaka, the leader
Dasun Shanaka with the ball versus India (Source: AP Newsroom)
Besides his ability to bat under pressure, Shanaka has shown time and again that he is a great leader. The latest instance is in the second T20I against India. In the last over when India required 21 runs, and only Hasaranga's over was left for Sri Lanka, Shanaka took the ball.
He knew that Axar Patel could take a toll on the leg-break bowler and thus he went ahead. Shanaka picked up two wickets and just conceded four runs in the over, helping his team win by 16 runs and drawing levels in the series.
The IPL franchises lose out on a utility player
During the auctions for the IPL 2023, we saw that the all-rounders were in high demand. The three highest buys of the event were all-rounders. Moreover, Sam Curran broke all the records fetching a price of INR 18.50 Crores.
But the franchises ignored someone like Dasun Shanaka. Teams like Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians who were in search of a pacing bowling all-rounder, who can bat lower down the order did not take note of the Sri Lankan. Not only, Shanka would have been a great buy, the fact that he is more habituated to the Indian conditions could have been a decisive factor during the long tournament next year.
With the way Shanaka has developed himself and seeing how he is contributing to Sri Lanka, not having him is a loss for the IPL franchises.
 "Probuddha Bhattacharjee")
