'Wouldn't change it': Vics' new prodigy forges his own path

Ashley Chandrasinghe might only be young, but Victoria's newest batting prodigy has taken the path less travelled of sorts.

While his story of toil might not rival that of Adam Voges' to get to Test level or that of his new coach Chris Rogers' in the same vein, nor has Chandrasinghe been touted since his young teenage years as Australia's next star.

Australia's underage championships have long been key in identifying the game's next generation of talent especially in recent years, with young domestic stars such as Will Pucovski and Jason Sangha wearing their state colours for years before making their Sheffield Shield debuts.

But that's where Chandrasinghe has created his own way of reaching the next level.

While he was a member of Victorian and Vic Metro sides at under 12, 15, and 17 level, by his own admission, rarely did he stand out.

Instead, it was the sheer weight of runs he has made for his Premier side Casey-South Melbourne – a club he began with all the way back in 2015 in fourth grade – that started to get people to notice his appetite for runs.

Not only that, but a preparedness to do the hard work and spend long periods of time in the middle, namely since the start of the 2019 season, has started to bear fruit.

"I think it was definitely something that was drilled into me a little bit when I was quite young, especially when I started with my coach, he always says, 'you can't make runs if you're not at the crease'," Chandrasinghe said today of his love for batting following his Marsh Sheffield Shield debut this week.

"So that's my mentality when I'm trying to bat, and I was lucky to have that when I was quite young. It's come through now which matters the most."

Almost 1500 runs over two seasons in Premier Cricket was enough to earn the 20-year-old a Victorian rookie contract for 2022-23, but Chandrasinghe knew that wouldn't guarantee opportunities.

That came through hard work, and again, a lot of runs.

Heading north to play in the Darwin and District Cricket Competition for the 2022 winter, Chandrasinghe got to work for the Waratah Warriors.

In early June, a month into the season, Chandrasinghe made his first century when two-day matches began. By the time the third month of his season ended, he had five.

That remarkable five-game stretch where the left-hander passed triple figures each time he went out to bat got people talking not only in the Northern Territory, but perhaps more importantly, in Victoria as well.

His selection in Victoria's first Toyota Second XI game for the year in September yielded yet another ton, combining with Pucovski for a mammoth 270-run opening stand and essentially stamping his name as the next man in the Shield side once the opportunity presented itself.

It's this journey over the past few years – the shortcomings at underage level, the countless hours improving his craft whether it be in the humidity of Darwin or the inclement weather of Victoria, and the seemingly bottomless pit of runs he has made in various competitions – that Chandrasinghe says is really pleasing following his debut Shield century in Hobart on Sunday.

"The journey that I took I'm really happy that I got through that and made my way up," he said.

"I wouldn't have really changed anything, obviously at the time when I was in the junior pathways I thought 'it's the end of the world' when you don't really do that well.

Image Id: 3733143DD0BF49B48FB282EE7BAE6B4A Image Caption: Chandrasinghe receives his Victorian cap on Saturday morning from Chris Rogers // Getty

"But as long as you find a way and keep pushing through, I think you'll reach the end goal at some stage."

Chandrasinghe's unbeaten 119 came off 333 balls; an eight-hour long vigil in Victoria's first innings that helped his state escape with a draw against a potent Tasmanian bowling line-up boasting the likes of Peter Siddle, Jackson Bird and Riley Meredith.

But that rare feat of scoring triple figures on debut didn't stop some knocking him for his slow scoring rate, something Chandrasinghe says he would have been affected by in the past.

"When I was a little bit younger it did a little bit, I was maybe a little bit self-conscious about (batting slowly)," he said.

"But I think with a red ball and what the guys have asked me to do and the coaches, to just play my role, that's what I'm trying to do.

"It still hasn't really sunk in, but I'm just really pleased with the performance."

Chandrasinghe says aspirations to play for Australia are on his radar, but not at the forefront of his mind and as he looks to establish himself in Victoria's top-order.

Image Id: 7D27C02DAC6A49A7AFCBAA5BD3FF6CFE Image Caption: Chandrasinghe and Pucovski during a second XI match against Tasmania last season // Getty

Pointing those who have bided their time before, the young gun says there's no timeline on his goal to reach the international stage, as emphasised by his rise from a peripheral underage player to a Shield rising star.

"Like any kid playing cricket, they obviously aspire to represent Australia and get the Baggy Green and it's definitely something you try to strive towards," he said.

"But obviously I've only played one game so it's trying to take each game as it comes in and if that comes down the line then so be it, but we'll just try to take each day as it comes.

"There's definitely no time constraint on the goal … there's been lots of players who've got there later on in their career.

"If I get there at any point in time, I'll be quite happy."