Dhananjaya de Silva is a cricketer who plays internationally for Sri Lanka and domestically for Sinhalese Sports Club in Sri Lanka. He is a right-handed batter and right-arm off-break bowler who can play in various formats of the game. He is the vice-captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team in Test cricket and formerly captained in ODIs. He is considered as one of the best allrounders in the world. He is known for his versatile batting, bowling variations, and leadership skills.
Dhananjaya de Silva was born on September 6, 1991, in Hambantota, Sri Lanka. He grew up in a cricket-loving family and started playing the game at the age of nine. His father, Kithsiri Perera, is a businessman and his mother, PV Swarnalatha, is a housewife. He has an older brother, Dilshan Perera, who is also a cricketer and plays for Negombo Cricket Club.
Dhananjaya de Silva is unmarried and lives in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is fluent in Sinhala, English, and Tamil. He holds a bachelor's degree in sports management from Inholland University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam. He is also a qualified cricket coach and has worked as a player-coach at Sinhalese Sports Club. He enjoys travelling, reading, and listening to music in his spare time.
Dhananjaya de Silva started playing cricket at Prince of Wales College, where he received guidance from former Sri Lankan cricketer Roy Dias. He represented Sri Lanka at various age-group levels and was part of the squad that played in the 2010 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. He made his first-class debut for Sinhalese Sports Club against Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club in the 2011–12 Premier League Tournament and scored 54 runs on debut. He also made his List A debut for Sinhalese Sports Club against Colts Cricket Club in the same season and took one wicket.
Dhananjaya de Silva made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Sri Lanka against England at Manchester on July 9, 2011. He scored four runs and took one catch as Sri Lanka won by six wickets. He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for Sri Lanka against Pakistan at Pallekele on November 27, 2012. He scored three runs and took one catch as Sri Lanka won by eight wickets.
He made his Test debut for Sri Lanka against Australia at Pallekele on July 26, 2016. He scored 24 runs in the first innings and 36 runs in the second innings as Sri Lanka won by 106 runs.
Dhananjaya de Silva has played 83 ODIs for Sri Lanka until October 2023, scoring 1736 runs at an average of 26.30 and a strike rate of 78.80. He has hit no centuries and 10 half-centuries with a highest score of 93. He has also bowled 2124 balls and taken 44 wickets. His best bowling figures are 3/32. He has also taken 38 catches.
Dhananjaya de Silva has played 39 T20Is for Sri Lanka until November 2022, scoring 731 runs at an average of 20.88 and a strike rate of 117.71. He has hit no centuries and 3 half-centuries with a highest score of 66 not out. He has also bowled 263 balls and taken 13 wickets. His best bowling figures are 2/22. He has also taken 17 catches.
Dhananjaya de Silva has played 51 Test matches for Sri Lanka until April 2023, scoring 3301 runs at an average of 39.77. He has hit 10 centuries and 13 half-centuries with a highest score of 173. He has also bowled 3525 balls and taken 34 wickets. His best bowling figures are 3/25. He has also taken 64 catches.
Dhananjaya de Silva has captained Sri Lanka in three ODIs from January to March 2023. He has won two ODIs and lost one ODI as captain. He has also been the vice-captain of Sri Lanka in Test cricket since July 2021.
Dhananjaya de Silva has not been involved in any major controversies in his cricket career.
Dhananjaya de Silva is a cricketer who plays internationally for Sri Lanka and domestically for Sinhalese Sports Club in Sri Lanka. He is a right-handed batter and right-arm off-break bowler who can play in various formats of the game. He is the vice-captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team in Test cricket and formerly captained in ODIs. He is considered as one of the best allrounders in the world. He is known for his versatile batting, bowling variations, and leadership skills. He has achieved several records and accolades for his performances and is one of the most valuable players for Sri Lanka.