Seneviratne: From first class cricket player to India's throwdown specialist

As Rohit Sharma effortlessly flicked leftarm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi for a six over backward square leg during the Asia Cup Super 4 match here the cameras zoomed in on a person standing on the Indian dressing room balconyEven hardcore cricket buffs would have found it tough to identify him or fathom why he was shown on TV Meet Nuwan Seneviratne the leftarm throwdown specialist of the Indian team He is hired by the Indian team to face balls bowled by leftarm pacers like Shaheen Shah AfridiSo how did Seneviratne whose cricketing career ended in obscurity having played just two FirstClass matches in Sri Lanka became a prominent part of the Indian cricket teamThe answer is quite simple Senior India batters Rohit and Virat Kohli believe that Seneviratnes ability to generate extreme pace and acute angles with his leftarm throwdowns helps them tackle leftarm pacers better in a match situationAlso ReadBoult Neesham make cut as New Zealand go with experience for World CupBut the journey of Seneviratne was not so simple There was a time when he did not know about his future and tried to earn his livelihood as a school van driver in ColomboIn his free time Seneviratne came back to his old club the Nondescripts Cricket Club Maitland During one of the trips to the NCC in 2015 he met former Sri Lankan batsman Charith Senanayake and his life turned the curve for the betterNuwan is a hardworking boy from a humble background and I saw him first when he was assisting the Sri Lanka A side with their fielding drills He was doing some bowling and throwdowns to them and I was immediately impressed with his skills and work ethics He was first to enter the field and last to leave Senanayake who was the teams manager then told PTIHe said Seneviratnes ability to trouble batters with pace at nets caught his eye He was excellent with throwdowns especially while recreating the angles of a leftarm pacer at nets It helped our batsmen especially Danushka Gunathilaka a lot in the subsequent A tours said SenanayakeI thought this boy should be helped not just to earn his livelihood but he has genuine skill so I recommended him to Roy Dias and he was glad to take him on board said Senanayake Dias a former stylish Lankan batsman accommodated Seneviratne in the support staff of Sri Lanka A team in 2016 that toured IndiaSeneviratne then returned to the senior team later that year to help them on the tour to EnglandI had recommended him to then Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford who then watched him at the nets Ford was immediately impressed with the brutal force Bavuwa pet name of Seneviratne generated against players like Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo MathewsFord then rather jokingly asked me Is he a human He had no hesitation to take him with the team to England said Senanayake who accompanied the team on that tour as managerBut fate had something bigger in store for Seneviratne Under no regular contract with the Sri Lanka side he was called to assist the Indian team at nets on its tour to these shores in 2017At nets Bavuwa hit Kohli on the body and also troubled him a bit with his pace and anglesAfter the training the Indian team manager approached me and asked for details about the local throwdown specialist said Senanayake A brief interview followed and after a few months Seneviratne was on a flight to India to be the teams leftarm throwdown specialistBavuwa called me and said Sir I am going to India to be with their cricket team I was so happy as finally he found the recognition that he deserves People often only sees his success But he worked hard at nets to improve his skillsets and spent countless hours at gym to strengthen his throwing arm I think that work ethic and dedication to his job impressed Kohli and the India management said SenanayakeSeneviratne can have a smile of satisfaction when Indian batsmen nullify the threat of a leftarm pacer I told Bavuwa that Indias gain is Sri Lankas loss He just laughs Senanayake chuckledWith PTI Inputs