Almost indispensable KJP

by Rex Clementine

No one is indispensable, it is said. Even Moses after guiding the Israelites for 40 years through the desert couldn’t enter the Promised Land. Justin Langer had won Australia’s first-ever ICC Men’s T-20 World Cup and more importantly the Ashes, but even he could not overstay his welcome. Phil Jackson had won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls but wouldn’t get an extension beyond a certain point. So, no one is indispensable.

However, there comes a time when you are faced with life’s toughest challenges, you have got to fall back on your tried and tested men. The guys who will bail you out invariably. That is exactly what happened at Eden Park on Sunday as we were treated to a thrilling contest in Auckland as Sri Lanka won their first contest on tour.

Sri Lanka had been hopeless in New Zealand. Bowled out for 76 runs to blow away their only hopes of automatic qualification for this year’s showpiece cricketing event in India – the World Cup – it looked as if the team will come back home struggling to beat the Kiwis even once. Kusal Janith Perera returns to the side after shoulder surgery and proves what the team had been lacking.

One of Sri Lanka’s most successful openers in shorter formats of the game, KJP is pushed to number three as Sri Lanka refuse a left-hand – right-hand combination. He walks in to face the second ball of the innings after Pathum Nissanka falls for a first-ball duck and bats so well to give the team a target which the bowlers can defend.

Known as someone who puts bowling to the sword from ball one, KJP was well aware that his team had been facing issues of not batting out the full quote of overs in the 50-over format. So, he didn’t want similar things happening in the T-20 format and changed his style batting through the innings.

KJP’s strike rate of 117 was quite slow by his standards especially when Dhananjaya de Silva maintains a strike rate of 150. But it did the trick for the team as he batted around others rotating the strike well. This is what the ODI team has been lacking and KJP’s return augurs well for the qualifiers.

KJP is a largely misunderstood man. He was in the midst of a crisis after being handed the opening batsman’s role for Sri Lanka’s successful campaign in the ICC World T-20 in 2014. It shouldn’t have been an issue, but a senior had been demoted and had a bone to pick. This was very early in his career, and he began to be a bit of an introvert from there on playing his cards close to his chest, not the ideal thing in a team game.

In and out of the Test side, KJP’s greatest knock came in Durban in 2019 when he starred in the nation’s greatest Test win in history and that set up a historic series win in South Africa. Soon, he was out of the Test side too.

Two years later, he was appointed captain, by default. A host of seniors had been axed and the selectors launched their ill-advised youth policy. KJP was the senior most and ended up doing a job that he never wanted. A contract dispute saw him being in the center of controversy again. Some of his bosses proved to be unforgiving.

KJP had developed a shoulder injury but played through pain during the T-20 World Cup of 2021 in UAE. He was also keeping wickets. You always wonder how costly was that David Warner drop. Would Australia gone onto win the trophy is a question that we can discus until the cows come home. But the fact of the matter is that KJP is better off playing as a specialist batter. How come guys who have years of experience in international cricket fail to understand this is a question that you keep asking constantly.

By end of 2021, his shoulder injury had gone from bad to worse. Eventually, he had to undergo surgery in the UK and was out of action for 18 months. At one point he was in doubt about whether to undergo surgery or not but some sound advice from his childhood hero Sanath Jayasuriya, whom he met accidentally during the funeral of former Board Chairman Vijaya Malalasekara made him rethink. Malalasekara incidentally was instrumental in spotting KJP’s talent and giving him a full scholarship to Royal.

There’s perhaps not much cricket left in KJP, maybe less than five years. But Sri Lankan fans will be hoping that he will be doing more feats like Durban for the team is in desperate need of them.