If one thinks about Srilankan Women's Cricket Team, the first name which strikes anyone's minds is Chamari Athapaththu. The legend of Sri Lanka cricket is one of its kind of batters in around the 3 decade history of Srilankan Women's cricket. But thankfully, under her leadership many more new talents are groomed and nurtured. The likes of Harshitha Samarawickrama and others a few to name. However, amongst the list of upcoming and established players, one teen sensation stands as a ray of hope for future Srilanka team. The talented prodigy we are talking about is Vishmi Gunaratne.

The opener grabbed the eyeballs of cricketing world by scoring a magnificent hundred against the nation of Ireland. It was noteworthy to see that when skipper and legend Chamari was dismissed for low runs, and when in-form Harshitha was out earlier too, it was this youngster who carried the Srilankan team to a good total in the first ODI. With her knock of 101 off 98 deliveries, the teen became the only 2nd batter from Srilanka to hit a century after Chamari Athapaththu. Everyone was in awe of Vishmi, who reached to her century in style with a boundary.

On one side, the articles about her century took the internet by storm, and on the other side it was her journey which people wanted to know. And like her graph in international caree, her journey is worth knowing too. Brought up in Algama village in Warakapola, Vishmi was always keen to take up sports. Her family consisted of sportspersons. Her father Aruna was a national level sprinter and her brother played club level cricket. And likewise, a small Vishmi developed interest in cricket. She played in her village, until her grade five when she received a scholarship to join Ratnavali BMV in Gampaha.

And then onwards, her passion started to shape up as a profession. She excelled in more than one sport. Along with cricket, she was a sprinter, just like her father. She sprinted 100m and 200m, and her relay U-15 team created a national record in 2019. She also won Srilankan Junior Colours for 100m and 200m. And along with her athletics, she greatly excelled in cricket. Along with Ratnavali BMV, she also played for a cricket club and her skills honed. She first grabbed the eyeballs of Srilanka circuit when she became the first Srilankan to hit a quadraple century at any level in women's cricket.

Her knock of 417 runs off just 128 deliveries left raised many eyebrows as one saw a little Vishmi hit staggering 49 fours and 29 sixes. A total of 370 runs were scored in boundaries in the knock of SR 325. Vishmi who was already included in the squad of Srilanka strengthened her place due to this innings. Furthermore, the same year she also became the youngest to score a century in Srilanka List A cricket. All these things eventually forced the selectors to select the teen sensation for ODIs. And at the age of 16 years and 316 days, Vishmi became the youngest ODI debutant for Srilanka Women's Cricket Team.

Going ahead, she led the Srilanka U-19 team in the inaugural U-19 Women's World Cup. She was also a part of the Commonwealth Games. She was a part of silver medal winning Srilankan team in Asian Games. With time, her game evolved and she stitched good partnerships with senior players. She was a part of the historic Srilanka team which won their first ever Women's Asia Cup. In the same tournament, she scored a half century in their match against Bangladesh. And now, just a few days back, she scored the magnificent century against Ireland, becoming the second Srilankan Women to score a century in ODIs.

For a significant amount of time, it was Chamari Athapaththu who carried the burden of Srilanka Women's cricket on her strong shoulders. But now with youngsters like Vishmi and others, it looks like the good days for Srilanka Women's cricket have just begun. Very few players have got the opportunity to contribute to the winning national side when they made their debuts, and Vishmi is one of those. A youngster who can bat well and take the responsibility was the need of Srilanka team, and she is right there to fill that long-standing void. Which is why, in all possibilities it looks like she is the star in making for Srilanka if she continues to work like this. Today, on the occasion when she turns 19, we wish wish her a very happy birthday and we pray to God to see her do wonders on the field.