Wisden overview
Of slight build and a good technique, Indika de Saram was kept waiting for his opportunities at the highest level. Like Sanath Jayasuriya, he was born in Matara and schooled at St Thomas's College, where he made headlines by scoring 304 off 149 balls in an inter-schools match, with 25 sixes and 19 fours. At 22, he hit 1116 runs in a season for Tamil Union, but it was another four years before his chance came in Test cricket. With senior players missing, he played all three Tests in Zimbabwe and did reasonably well, scoring 39 in the first match at Bulawayo and 38 in the third at Harare - but he couldn't manage the big innings that would have guaranteed him a place innings when Arjuna Ranatunga finally retired. Simon Wilde

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