"I want to be a good role model for youngsters" - Chamari Athapaththu motivated to inspire the next gen

The warm tone in Chamari Athapaththu's voice and her endearing smile draw you towards a conversation. In many ways, they combine to form the antithesis of the destructive ball-striker that the 34-year-old Sri Lankan captain is.

It's not easy being Athapaththu either, for she carries a large portion of Sri Lanka's hopes on her own shoulders every time she steps out onto the field. It's not easy when, at the absolute pinnacle of your career, there are no takers for your world-beating skills in T20 leagues - even if teams have come around eventually.

But when you think about it, the antithesis adds up. What are warm tones and endearing smiles possibly a reflection of? A personality who is measured, composed and operates on a sound thought process, after all. For the captain of her country and the carrier of dreams, her success falls in line with these qualities.

Having seen it all in a storied career, a pleasant - and many would say, well-deserved - surprise came her way when the UP Warriorz (UPW) swung by to rope her in for the second edition of the WPL with English quick Lauren Bell pulling out.

Athapaththu narrates the moment when the news of her participation in the tournament reached her ears in a freewheeling chat with Sportskeeda.

"Actually my manager called me and said UP Warriorz were keen on me as a replacement. I know I missed out at the auction, but I can't control these things. I got the opportunity, so I grabbed it with both hands. I'm super excited to be part of this amazing team and this WPL season. I want to show what I can do," says Athapaththu.

Athapaththu was an afterthought in the Women's Big Bash League too having gone unsold in the player draft despite her scintillating form. The Sydney Thunder were quick to change that though and the result was a combination of 511 runs, nine wickets and a Player of the Tournament award.

A lucrative deal at the WPL auction was a given. Except, there was deafening silence in the auction hall when the gavel went down without the paddles going up. That silence turned into shock around conjecture when the swashbuckling all-rounder was overlooked.

Having got her call for the WPL, Chamari Athapaththu is keen to show what she can do (Picture Credits: UP Warriorz).

'Actions speak louder than words' - this is what she captioned in a cryptic Instagram story a couple of days after not having a taker at the auction. Few know it better for she had already walked the talk in that regard with her WBBL returns. While she has since gone on to state that she takes rejection as motivation, how difficult was it for her to come to terms with the reality of it on the day of the auction?

"Actually I wasn’t shocked," Athapaththu remarks. "I was confused and surprised. Because these things are not in my control. These things are in the control of other hands like coaches and the management. So I focus on I don't want to take too much pressure on my shoulders.

"I just focus on my cricket and my training. So sometimes rejection is some kind of motivation for me to do my best. At the WPL auction, no one picked me. But I had a good year in international cricket and was Player of the Tournament in the WBBL. I want to continue this performance."

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"I want to be a good role model for youngsters" - Chamari Athapaththu

Here's a glance at some mindboggling numbers of this player in 2023: 470 runs at a strike rate of 130.91 in 16 T20I matches, coupled with eight wickets; 415 runs at an average of 69.16 in ODIs; the ICC Women's ODI and T20I Cricketer of the Year and that staggering WBBL season.

Athapaththu scaled a peak that reaffirmed the already obvious notion that she was a modern-day colossus. It was also a year where Sri Lanka sealed some special accomplishments in bilateral series, apart from a silver medal finish at the Asian Games.

"We beat New Zealand in Sri Lanka for the very first time and we beat England in their home soil for the first time. As a skipper and a player, I'm so proud of my girls and I continued my best performance for my country. I had a good year with the national team. I was the ICC ODI player of the year and was nominated for a few awards. Though awards are some kind of motivation for me, at the end of the day I focus on what I can do and my focus is always on the national team as a skipper and player," she says.

Beaming with pride when asked about her synonymity with Sri Lankan cricket and inspiring thousands of young girls back home, she elaborates on why it is very important for her to inspire.

"I want to be a good role model for youngsters and young girls. That a lot of girls want to play cricket because of me feels really good for me because I want to be a good role model. Ifccome to any other country, I know how to behave myself and I want to be a good person for cricketers on the field and off the field as well. So, yeah, I carry my nation’s flag everywhere. I want to be a good person, not just a good player, but a good person for everyone," says Athapaththu.

A beacon of hope with massive expectations on her shoulders, she is pretty chilled out off the field though in her own words.

"Off the field I'm a very funny person and I'm very cool. On the field I'm very focused on my game. Every day is a fresh day, but I want to give my 100 per cent for my team," says Athapaththu.

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"I hope BCCI will be adding one or two teams" - Athapaththu opens up on the WPL

The WPL might be in its infancy stage in terms of age when compared to the WBBL. But Athapaththu has declared it to be the biggest from the perspective of both cricket as well as finances.

She also batted for a couple of additional teams when asked about the tournament, citing the opportunities it expands for more players in India and the rest of the world.

"Cricket-wise and the money-wise, WPL is at the highest level and all have been waiting for the WPL. I hope next year, BCCI will be adding one or two teams. I feel if they can increase one or two teams, it's a good opportunity. And this league is really important. Some people think the league is all about money, but I don't think like that because this exposure is really good for the youngsters. We can engage with the players, share our knowledge, experience and culture-wise we can mix, so that's really good," expressed Athapaththu.

Having already declared her desire to be a role model for girls back in Sri Lanka, she is also hopeful that her teammates will soon make it to the rosters of franchise teams.

"There are a lot of good youngsters and senior players in my team. They haven’t got opportunities to play franchise cricket, but I hope next year or maybe this year, definitely some franchise will pick them. If it happens, I’ll be so happy because we have a lot of youngsters - Harshita (Madavi), Vishmi (Gunaratne), Kavisha (Dilhari), they are very good players. And the seniors as well - Oshadi (Ranasinghe), Inoka (Ranaweera) and Udeshika (Prabodhani). I know they need some exposure, but they are really good players," says Athapaththu.

The growing cry for a women's franchise tournament in India took years to materialize into reality. The belief amongst conjecture that the exposure it gives young players is a sentiment that Athapaththu echoes, as reflected in her desire for a league of a similar kind in Sri Lanka. She believes that this will facilitate her team's chances of competing even stronger with powerhouses on the field like Australia and England.

"As a team, as a country, I feel we need some kind of league in Sri Lanka, because if we organise that then overseas players come in here, overseas coaches come in Sri Lanka. We can engage with them and share knowledge. So that's why we're blocked. We have to open the gate for the girls to go to the international level and international franchises. So we need some kind of franchise competition in Sri Lanka."

If there's anyone who can inspire something of the kind on the Emerald Isle, it is Athapaththu. For now though, her attention remains on donning the purple and yellow of the UP Warriorz in the ongoing WPL season - and of course, holding the trophy aloft.

"I'm super excited to be part of this amazing team. It has a good bunch of players and a good management, they are very friendly towards me. I feel this team is really good, this family is really good. I hope we can win the trophy for the first time. I want to be part of this winning team," she concludes.

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