Dhananjaya de Silva takes charge as Sri Lanka’s Test skipper, replaces star opening batter

Sri Lanka’s Test cricket team is undergoing a significant leadership change, with star all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva stepping into the role of captaincy, succeeding Dimuth Karunaratne. Notably, this transition marks the 18th player from Sri Lanka to captain their Test side.

Meanwhile, star cricketer Dimuth Karunaratne, who took charge in 2019, captained the team for 30 Tests, securing 12 wins, facing 12 defeats, and drawing six matches. Notably, Sri Lanka achieved a historic Test series victory in South Africa in 2019 under his leadership, which is a notable milestone for an Asian team and a rare feat in cricket history.

Speaking of the batter’s captaincy tenure, Karunaratne brought a sense of stability and composure to the Sri Lanka team, coinciding with an impressive period in his batting performance. In addition, the 35-year-old cricketer’s average of 49.86 as captain surpassed his career average of 40.93.

Meanwhile, middle-order batter Dhananjaya de Silva, who has been appointed successor, brings his own experience to the role, having played 51 Tests and amassed ten centuries along with 13 fifties in his international career. However, the stylish right-handed batter’s upcoming challenge as captain begins with the series against Afghanistan in a one-off Test starting on February 6.

Dhananjaya de Silva will be looking to beat the Afghanistan side to have a great start under his leadership

Moreover, the great batter will be looking to beat the Afghanistan side to have a great start under his leadership in the upcoming Test series. Notably, this leadership change comes amidst a series of recent captaincy alterations in the Sri Lankan cricket team, with Kusal Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga being named captains for the ODI and T20I squads, respectively.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has been performing extremely well in the Test series, as they placed themselves in the third spot in the WTC Cycle of 2021-2023 and failed to enter the WTC Final after New Zealand beat them, which left India and Australia to reach the finals. However, the side has already suffered defeats against Pakistan in the WTC Cycle 2023-2025.