The Sri Lankan Women’s Under-19 team is currently touring India for a white-ball series, comprising three T20Is and as many ODIs. Although the visitors are trailing 0-2 in the T20I series, the spotlight was firmly on Limansa Tillakaratne, the daughter of former Sri Lanka opening batter Tillakaratne Dilshan.
Speaking to Sportstar after Sri Lanka’s narrow 11-run defeat to India in the second Women’s Youth T20 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday, Limansa said her father inspired her to take up the sport.
“Honestly, I’m really proud to be his daughter,” Limansa said. “I started playing cricket not because of him, but because I was inspired by him. I’m lucky to have him as my father, and I’m proud to carry that name.”
The 17-year-old, who stays
in Victoria, Australia, began her cricketing journey far from her father’s immediate gaze. That spark soon became something more serious.
“When I first started, my dad wasn’t even around; he was travelling. I was playing for fun. I wasn’t thinking seriously about it,” she recalled. “My mum was the one who encouraged me. She would send videos of me playing to my dad, and he felt there was some potential there. That’s really how everything started.”
“Later, I got selected for Victoria’s under-19 women’s programme. Things were progressing well, but we chose to pursue the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka. Looking back, I’m very happy with that decision.”
While her father made his mark as a destructive top-order batter, Limansa is steadily carving out her own identity.
“When I started, I could bowl a wrong’un naturally, just off the back of my hand. My dad noticed it and thought I could develop more as a leg-spinner, and he helped me keep the wrong’un as a variation.”
Limansa said her father will visit India to meet her.
“Dad mentioned he might come over, perhaps to Puducherry for the 50-over series,” she said. “We’ll see how it works out.”
