When Sri Lanka clinched a shock 1996 World Cup triumph, Dunith Wellalage and Matheesha Pathirana weren’t even born, however the rising stars head to India decided to repeat the victory. Both aged 20, quick bowler Pathirana and all-rounder Wellalage are undeterred by going through childhood heroes on the match that opens on October 5. “We are looking forward to bringing the World Cup back to Sri Lanka,” Pathirana advised AFP.

“I want to win as many matches for Sri Lanka as I can.”

The island nation remains to be hurting from the drubbing by India within the Asia Cup last this month wherein they have been all out for simply 50 runs.

But Wellalage is assured that with the preparations they’ve undergone, Sri Lanka can do effectively on the World Cup.

“We have players with the experience of playing around the world,” he stated. “We plan it match by match… I think we can give a good account of ourselves.”

Wellalage produced his greatest efficiency in one-day internationals within the Asia Cup match towards India in Colombo on September 12, taking 5 for 40 though India went on to win by 41 runs.

“From my childhood, the participant I adored is Virat Kohli,” he stated.

“To take his wicket gave me a lot of satisfaction. After I got his wicket, I couldn’t believe that I had done it.”

‘Simple plans’

Wellalage approaches the sport seemingly unruffled by the stress on his younger shoulders.

“If you handle the situations correctly, batting becomes easy,” Wellalage stated, who captained Sri Lanka within the U19 World Cup final yr, scoring a century and claiming 17 wickets.

“When I get out to the middle, I always stick to simple plans,” he stated.

“If there is a senior player at the other end, I try to support him,” he added.

“Otherwise, I try and rotate the strike as much as possible, reducing risky shots and try and put the pressure back on the bowling side.”

Both younger males credit score their household for his or her swift rise.

Wellalage was handed his first bat aged 5 by his mom whereas his father, himself as soon as a gifted schoolboy cricketer, acted as bowler.

Pathirana’s automobile salesman father is a diehard cricket fan, who instilled an early love of the game.

Nicknamed “Baby Malinga” for his slingy motion paying homage to veteran bowler and compatriot Lasith Malinga, Pathirana stated he perfected his uncommon swing by taking part in baseball.

“From my childhood days I never bowled with the usual bowling action”, he stated.

Playing within the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings introduced Pathirana below the watchful eyes of skipper MS Dhoni.

“I learnt a lot from Dhoni. When I went there, I was a kid and no one knew me, but they trained and taught me several things,” he stated.

“Now, I know how to perform in any T20 game, and how to balance my four overs in a match. Dhoni told me; if I keep my body away from injury, I can achieve a lot for the team and the country.”

‘Strength to energy’

Still, Pathirana acknowledges he’s but to grasp his distinctive arm motion and bowls extra wides than he needs.

“The coaches don’t put pressure on me, they say that with my action, I will improve with age,” he stated.

After taking part in for the Under-19s on the 2020 and 2022 World Cups, Pathirana was quick tracked by Sri Lanka Cricket.

“I got a break to play in the Abu Dhabi T10, after that I played in the IPL, and with the IPL experience I graduated into the Sri Lanka team,” he stated.

Head coach Chris Silverwood referred to as Pathirana a tough employee with a “big future”.

Others have excessive reward for Wellalage too.

“He is a real star in the making who can do special things”, stated former India cricketer-turned-commentator Dinesh Karthik.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)