Sri Lanka all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne's brother Niluka Karunaratne set to participate in Tokyo Olympics 2020
As young all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne turns out for Sri Lanka in the ongoing ODI series against the visiting Indian side, his elder brother Niluka Karunaratne is all set to represent the island nation in badminton at the Tokyo Olympics.
Niluka Karunaratne is a two-time Olympian, having participated in the London Games of 2012 and the Rio Games of 2016. He is currently the number one player in the country and qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after winning his 17th title at the National Badminton Championship.
Chamika Karunaratne also played badminton at national and international levels before becoming a professional cricketer. The two brothers played badminton together at the Sri Lankan Badminton Nationals as recently as February 2021.
The Karunaratne brothers have two more siblings, Dinuka Karunaratne and Diluka Karunaratne, who are professional badminton players. All the brothers have been trained in the sportby their father Louie Karunaratne.
Chamika Karunaratne made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in May 2021. He has represented Sri Lanka in 1 Test and 4 ODIs so far.
Chamika Karunaratne played a crucial knock against India
Chamika Karunaratne played a crucial knock against India in the first ODI held in Colombo. At one stage in the innings, Sri Lanka were reduced to 222/8 in the 47th over. Karunaratne played a 35-ball 43 cameo which elevated the final score to 262/9.
However, India comfortably overhauled the target to win by seven wickets with almost 14 overs to spare. Karunaratne did not have a lot to do with the ball today. The medium-pacer bowled two overs, going for 16 runs.