Tharindu Kaushal Gamble Pays off for Sri Lanka in Series Dominated by X-Factors

If cricket had proverbs, one of them would read: judge not a spinner by his debut Test. Tharindu Kaushal made his debut for Sri Lanka in 2014 at Christchurch against New Zealand. He got hammered. 

Kaushal conceded almost 200 runs and managed just one wicket as he got tonked all around the park in December last year. Fast-forward a little over six months and he has made quite the comeback. On the first day against Pakistan, he was a different bowler, taking five wickets for 42 as Sri Lanka rattled through the opposition, skittling them out for 138.

After being outdone by Pakistan for X-Factor in the first Test, Sri Lanka took a gamble in replacing seamer Nuwan Pradeep with the young spinner. And their gamble paid off.

Kaushal probably won't feel as though it was a gamble to include him. In the 2014-15 season, he took a staggering 75 wickets in 10 first-class games, more than any other player in the first-class competition. He rattled through almost 370 overs, had an average of 17.90 economy rate of 3.63 and 10 five-fors to boot.

However, considering how he performed in his first Test, many teams would have been a bit more cautious in picking a player in such a crucial Test.

For Sri Lanka, though, there is no time to be like other teams. They currently find themselves in a transitional period. While that does allow a little bit more room to manoeuvre, a victory in this Test is vital for Sri Lanka in order to keep their hopes of a series win alive.

All of this makes Kaushal’s selection quite inspiring. Of course, there is an element of having some faith in a player who has done well domestically, but it also shows that Sri Lanka aren’t afraid to take risks during this transitional period.

All teams go through a phase when they lose a number of their core players and have to start all over. Most teams don’t know how to deal with it, and when the losses start to roll in, they panic and make rash decisions and often have to learn their lessons the hard way.

Sri Lanka have not shown any signs of panic just yet, and for them, this transitional phase isn’t simply about replacing players who have retired recently. Since Muttiah Muralitharan retired from Tests almost five years ago, they have been in search of a spin bowler who can give them the edge.

Rangana Herath has done that to an extent, but he is already 37. Kaushal is just 22 years old and considering the resilience he showed since being hammered in his debut Test, there is plenty to be positive about.

Kaushal does have the tendency to leak runs, that is the case with many spin bowlers. but on a pitch and in an environment where he is given the freedom to express himself, he has shown he has the ability to be a real X-Factor.

In a series that is seemingly going to be decided by X-Factors, there is no better time for Kaushal to cut his teeth.