Kosala first Vidyarthian to play for Sri Lanka

S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen – Kandy Sports Correspondent

All rounder Kosala Kulasekera was the first cricketer from Vidyartha College, Kandy, to play for the national cricket team in both versions of the game when he did so in the year 2011 after knocking at the door for this honour for many years.

Strongly built Kosala Kulasekera first played for Vidyartha College at junior level where he came under the charge of two cricket coaches Chaminda Kodikara and Bandula Ranasinghe – both former Vidyartha College cricketers. They spotted the talent of this youngster and encouraged him to continue his cricket. The rough edges were there and they polished them to make him a fine end product.

It was in the year 2000 that he first played for the College first eleven and immediately made an impact as a medium pacer and a reliable middle order batsman.

He played for the school for the next five years and captained the side in 2004. His best season was in 2003 when he scored 781 runs and also captured 45 wickets.

Though coming from a lesser known school playing in the lower division of the schools cricket tournament,by performance along that he played for the Sri Lanka under 17 cricket team in 2002 and for the under 19 team in 2004 and made it to the national cricket pool in 2011 playing for the Nondescripts Cricket Club.

This is not all he played in the Youth World Cup held in Bangladesh in 2004 and also played for the Central Province Schools and also captained the Kandy District under 19 in the inter district under 19 cricket tournaments which won the Central Province Championship in 2033.

At the Youth World Cup held in 2004 in Bangladesh, he was adjudged ‘Man of the Match’ in two matches which Sri Lanka won and showed early sings of making the grade.

He started his club cricket playing for the Kandy Youths Cricket Club in the P. Sara Trophy Cricket Tournament and moved to Colombo to play for the Nondescripts Cricket Club in the Premier League which boosted his chances to play for the national team. He is one of the few cricketers from the hill capital who had the opportunity to captain a Colombo Club in the top division and he acheived this by captaining the NCC for the last two years.

Kosala Kulasekera was honoured by the Vidyartha College Cricket Foundation at a function held at the College Hall and a special memento was presented to him.

Kosala Kulasekera was full of praise to his two mentors Chaminda Kodikara and Bandula Ranasinghe for moulding him into a cricketer and it was the foundation laid by them in the early stages that he was able to make steady progress and bring honour to his school.

Chaminda Kodikara is one of the finest cricketers to come put of Vidyartha College and was the Kandy District cricket coach and later was the Uva Province Cricket coach of Sri Lanka Cricket.

Bandula Ranasinghe, a very unassuming personality is attached to the Kandy Municipal Council as a Sports Officer. He played for Vidyartha College and coached his alma mater for many years.

Vidyartha College is indeed proud of Kosala Kulasekera who is the first cricketer from the school to play test cricket.