A tearaway quick coming from the dustbowls of Sri Lanka is enough to grab eyeballs already. And when you pick up a fifer against the touring Indians, a list that includes Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan, you know you've hit the attention bulls eye. 

Kasun Rajitha had one such claim to fame. Largely unheard of before 2015, the right arm quick announced himself with figures of five for 68 in a three-day warm up game at Khettarama. He followed this up with incisive bowling performances in the domestic T20 tournament to finish as the second-highest wicket-taker of the season. With an ability to clock 140kph easily, a lanky frame and a tall arm bowling action, he was soon fast tracked into the national T20I squad. 

His T20I debut was just as impressive against the Indians on a spicy Pune track, where he broke the back of the top-order with three wickets in his first spell. His rise, however meteoric, couldn't sustain for long, with his lack of accuracy proving to be a major issue, leading to him being dropped soon enough. 

He came back strongly in the 2018 domestic season, finishing as the highest wicket-taker for Kandy in the  Super Four Provincial Tournament, and followed it up as the leading wicket-taker in the SLC T20 League. 
An ODI and a Test call up followed soon, with some middling performances to keep shunting him in and out of the side. He found himself to become part of some unwanted history in October 2019, when he fell victim to David Warner's onslaught and finished with figures of 4-0-75-0 -- the most expensive figures by a bowler in T20Is, ever. 

However, with age by his side and raw pace at his disposal, he offers Sri Lanka a skilset that's been rare in their history. 


Written by - Vineet Anantharaman