Dinesh Chandimal has been a mainstay in the Sri Lankan cricketing circle for more than a decade now. Once considered to be the successors of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, the batter is finally living up to expectations.
Since his Test debut in 2011, the veteran Sri Lankan batter has experienced many ups and downs in his career but has now emerged as one of the most important players in the national team.
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Chandimal's versatility is unmatched, as the batter has played in multiple batting positions throughout his career. But what is more surprising is that he features in the top five list of the batters with the highest batting averages in Tests since 2022.
In this article, The Sporting News takes a look at whether Chandimal is truly an underrated gem.
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Is Dinesh Chandimal underrated?
Numbers are in favour of Chandimal, as the veteran Sri Lankan batter is just behind England's Harry Brook in terms of batting averages since 2022 (for batters who have batted at least 40 innings).
Even the world no.1, Joe Root, sits behind Chandimal with an average of 53.87.
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average | Highest score |
| Harry Brook | 43 | 2438 | 58.04 | 317 |
| Dinesh Chandimal | 44 | 2144 | 54.97 | 206* |
| Joe Root | 75 | 3556 | 53.87 | 262 |
| Usman Khawaja | 71 | 3111 | 49.38 | 232 |
| Ben Duckett | 56 | 2511 | 47.37 | 182 |
Only Brook happens to the batsman who has scored more Test runs at a better average than Chandimal. Not many people will think of the Sri Lankan batter when asked about the top five batters in Tests currently, but the numbers speak a different story.
Chandimal's ability to shift positions in the batting order is less talked about. Although he has proved to be a reliable no. 5 option, he is versatile and has done well at no. 3 as well.
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Batters these days generally have their batting positions locked in, But Chandimal had to move up to no. 3 for the benefit of his team. The returns have been nothing short of extraordinary, as the batter has played 8 Tests in the position and has failed to cross the 50-run mark only once.
Over the last three years, Chandimal has batted from no. 3 to no. 7 and excelled in each position. His lowest average in any position in the batting order is 51.6, and that too while playing at no. 6.
The batter continues to pile up runs, as he played a fine knock of 93 off 153 deliveries in the first innings of the second Test against Bangladesh in Colombo.
It's safe to say that Chandimal's stint as a Test player is nothing short of underrated. Maybe KL Rahul comes to mind but it's hard to find a lot of players in the modern era with such massive numbers and a lot of versatility attached to his game.