In pursuit of a childhood dream

Kevin Indulanka Tissera first went to the Melbourne Cricket Ground as an eight-yearold. His artist dad Vernon had created a portrait of Sri Lankan ‘spin wiz’ Mutthiah Muralitharan which he wanted to present to him in person. Understanding that the team was training there, Vernon decided to take his two boys Kevin and George to the ‘G’ to present the portrait to the Sri Lankan hero. Whilst such a trip to the ‘home of sport’ may have been one to saviour for some, at the time it was not one Kevin relished. Simply put, cricket was not one of his passions. His older brother George was the cricketer in the family.

Forward ten years, and all that has changed. In fact, Vernon claims, that trip to the MCG was the changing point in Kevin’s life.

“At the MCG, I was told by one of the Sri Lankan officials that I would be able to meet with Murali and present him with the painting,” recalls Vernon. However sent on somewhat of a 90-minute outlandish chase, Vernon was despondent as he found out that Murali and the rest of the Sri Lankan team had left the venue.

Tired, sad and disappointed, it was at this time that Kevin spoke up and promised his dad that he would one day play at the MCG.

“Prior to that, Kevin didn’t really take to cricket as much as his brother, but something changed that day.” (Later on that day Vernon was able to hand over his painting thanks to the helps of Chaminda Vass).

That was the beginning of a dream for young Kevin. Now, the boy who didn’t necessarily want much to do with cricket, grew an unbridled love for the game. He began to read avidly about cricket, and got involved in the game at school. Cartoons now gave way to cricket on TV. While his brother George played the game more as a means of relaxation, Kevin seemed to indulge in it with a passion.

Kevin’s ultimate passion for the game was rewarded recently when he was chosen as one of three young Victorians to participate in Cricket Australia’s new initiative, the Multicultural Leadership Program. The program, which is aimed at changing the face of Australian cricket, will provide the participants the opportunity to gain an understanding of all the facets of the game – in and out of the grounds – and turn them into multicultural ambassadors for the sport in Australia.

Since then Kevin had grown and matured into to fine young cricketer. Representing his schools and clubs from the age of 9 and onwards, he had developed into a promising right arm leg spinner with a penchant for aggressive stroke play. Under Kevin’s deputy leadership his primary school, St. Joseph’s in Springvale, Melbournbe won their maiden premiership in 2005. This love for the game would only become deeper whilst at secondary school, where he represented Mazenod College’s school cricket team in every year level from 7 to 12, even taking up leadership responsibilities as vice-captain in Years 8 and 9 to captaincy in Year 10, as well as captaining the First XI in Year 12.

Whilst there have been setbacks, where Kevin’s talents had not always been recognised at club level, he persisted in his quietly determined way, not allowing little obstacles to halt his progress. To take his cricket forward, he began to get expert coaching by Owen Mottau and Dr. Rene Ferdinands, both of whom, as Kevin explains, continue to play a crucial part in his development.

“Without the likes of Owen Mottau who has helped me wholeheartedly with my batting and love of the game, and Dr. Rene Ferdinands who has taken the time out of his busy schedule to work closely with me so that my ‘leggies’ develop, I wouldn’t dream of being in the position now where I can potentially go far with my cricket,” says Kevin.

He also said that he has benefited from the Young Cricketer’s Development Program (TYCDIEP), a unique program developed in Melbourne. Cofounded by his father and one of his close friends Johann Jayasinha, the not-for-profit organisation takes young boys on cricket tours so that they may experience the life of an international cricketer with regards to touring, media commitments and the like.

Participating in the inaugural tour to Sri Lanka in 2009, and the following tour in 2010 as captain of the team, this as he puts it, is where he really wanted to be as a cricketer.

Kevin’s ultimate passion for the game was rewarded recently when he was chosen as one of three young Victorians to participate in Cricket Australia’s new initiative, the Multicultural Leadership Program.

“The tours were some of the best times you could have. Not only did you get to experience some of the things international cricketers do, but you do so with your mates around you. Captaining the team in the second tour was a privilege, and to be able to win four out of the six games we played was a massive improvement from the previous year, and really solidified the belief that anything is possible with a bit of hard work.”

Despite his modest successes in cricket so far, Kevin has not allowed the sport to totally dominate his life. He studied hard to obtain excellent VCE results and enter university this year. However, for the first six months to a year, his studies will take a back seat as he flies to Sri Lanka where he will be training during the off-season. This can only lead to greater success for this affable young man who lives and breathes the sport.

Kevin has been blessed by a family that understands his passion. His father Vernon who is Sri Lankan and mother Lethi who is Indian, both love the sport and have supported and nurtured Kevin’s love for it. His brother George has always been a great foil to the rising young star, despite their being many a fight between the two owing to a game of backyard cricket! Whilst thanking his family, Kevin also mentioned some of the other people who have helped him indefinitely who have shaped his actions today. They include Owen Mottau, dr. Rene Ferdinands, Ravi Rathnayaka, Manjula Munasinha, Duleep Saraweera, Adrian Jones, Peter Mathison, Johann Jayasinha, Kirk and Julian Lawrence, Aldo Cerner and Dr. Nihal Henatigala. Perhaps it is too early to predict but given Kevin’s passion it may not be long before he can keep that promise to his father. We all wait for that day.