Naveen Heenakankanmge to lead Sri Lanka Youth Rugby outfit

By Shamseer Jaleel

Dashing Thomian rugby skipper and one of the future rugby stars of Sri Lanka, Naveen Heenakankanmge will lead the Sri Lanka Under-20 outfit at the Youth Asian Rugby Sevens 2017 which will be worked off in Hong Kong on 4 and 5 August  at the Kings Park rugby grounds in Kowloon.

The touring Sri Lanka outfit will leave the country on 1 August. National selectors will name the final touring 12 and the three standby players this morning.

Sri Lanka will defend their Asian Sevens title in Hong Kong which they won last year under Kevin Dixon by ending up on top with the highest aggregate after both legs in Malaysia and Hong Kong. South Korea finished second while Hong Kong surprised all by falling to third.

Naveen took the Thomian outfit to two consecutive school Sevens championships. He led the national Under-18 outfit to an Asian Plate Championship in Hong Kong and a Cup championship in Taipei.

Naveen overtook Supun Dilshan in leadership with the national selectors thinking of the potential and maturity he had shown at the recently completed Sri Lanka Super Sevens in Kandy and Colombo going head on with some senior local players plus some outstanding overseas ruggerites in the tournament. Naveen represented the Etisalat Panthers under Fazil Marija and the Access Group at the recently concluded Mercantile Rugby Sevens.

This tournament will be a great opportunity for Naveen who can play at this level next year as well. If he performs well he is assured a place in the Asian Sevens series in Hong Kong and South Korea later in September. The outfit will be coached by Sudath Sampath.

Men’s

Pool A - Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Taipei, China and the Philippines

Pool B - South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Uzbekistan

Women’s

India, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong and Thailand

August 4

Sri Lanka vs. the Philippines (8.40 a.m. SL time) 

Sri Lanka vs. China (1.36 p.m. SL time)

Sri Lanka vs. Malaysia (4.10 p.m. SL time)

August 5

Sri Lanka vs. Taipei (8.58 a.m. SL time)  

Caption

IndiaÕs cricketer Shikhar Dhawan (R) and Cheteshwar Pujara celebrates their partnership - REUTERS 

Centuries from Dhawan, Pujara put India in charge at Galle

Bullets

Dhawan hits career best 190, Pujara 144 not out

India 399-3 at stumps after opting to bat

GALLE (Reuters) - Shikhar Dhawan smashed a career-best 190 on his test return and Cheteshwar Pujara hit 144 not out to put India on course for a massive first innings total in the first test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

The duo held a 253-run second-wicket stand, with Dhawan playing the aggressor and Pujara the accumulator as India dominated the opening day to reach 399 for three at stumps.

Ajinkya Rahane was batting on 39 with Pujara, their fourth-wicket association already worth 113 runs at the Galle International Stadium.

With regular openers Murali Vijay and Lokesh Rahul indisposed, Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund opened the Indian innings after captain Virat Kohli opted to bat in the first match of the three-test series.

Mukund fell for 12 to Nuwan Pradeep, but Dhawan grabbed the opportunity with both hands - and appeared to have luck on his side. The 31-year-old was on 31 when he lashed at Lahiru Kumara, only for Asela Gunaratne to spill the catch at second slip.

Compounding Sri Lanka’s crisis, Gunaratne had to be rushed to Colombo with a fractured thumb and looks certain to miss the remainder of the test, and possibly the series.

Dhawan did not look back after the reprieve and toyed with the Sri Lankan attack, pulling the pacers and sweeping the spinners freely.

One such boundary swept off spinner Dilruwan Perera brought up his fifth test century off just 110 balls, at the same venue where he scored his fourth in 2015.

India scored nearly run-a-ball after lunch with Dhawan plundering 100-plus runs in one session for the second time in his career.

The 31-year-old was cruising towards his maiden test double century when he threw away his wicket, stepping out to slap a Pradeep delivery straight to Angelo Mathews at mid-off.

If Dhawan attempted to blow away Sri Lanka tried to grind them down as India’s number three batsman played with characteristic assuredness to bring up his 12th test century, which included 12 boundaries.

Pradeep claimed his third wicket when he dismissed Kohli for three with a short ball when Rangana Herath, leading Sri Lanka in absence of the ailing Dinesh Chandimal, challenged the original not-out decision.