Kandy, Aug. 18 :    Kandy, Aug. 18:  Off the field, tall and muscular Dilhara Fernando is a devout Roman Catholic. On it, he is determined to knock the batsman's head off. Meet Sri Lanka (and Asia's) newest fast bowling sensation. That Fernando, 22, would be more than a handful was evident during the recent tri-series itself. Yet, just how menacing he can be was actually felt when he tore into the Indian middle order with the second new ball, in innings No.1 of the first Test that ended in a shade over three days. Fernando, somewhat shy, spoke to The Telegraph in Galle yesterday. Incidentally, his mobile didn't stop ringing as family and friends continued to congratulate him for his role in Lanka's thumping 10-wicket victory. The following are excerpts On his background I've grown up in Kandana, a Colombo suburb, where my father (Gregory) is in business. We are a small family of five: two brothers and a sister besides my parents. My mother, Jayanti, is a housewife. Till the age of 16, I was totally smitten by basketball, a sport I was pretty good at... On who encouraged him to switch to cricket A friend, Lanka Chintana, who suggested I try my hand at bowling. I did, just for the heck of it, and all of a sudden I was into cricket with very little time for basketball. On his idol Not exactly idol, but I admire Allan Donald... He has such a terrific action... It was quite an experience playing against him, in South Africa last year, and I managed a few minutes with him. His advice was that I shouldn't let my head fall away at the time of delivery. I'm also a Curtley Ambrose fan. On his first big match (Smiles) It was Board President's XI against India, in July 1997. I remember getting Sachin Tendulkar in the second innings, caught by Russell Arnold (for five). My Test debut was versus Pakistan, at home (SSC, Colombo) last year, while my first one-day cap came in South Africa, last season. On his Test debut Frankly, I was nervous for the first couple of overs. But, then, my captain (Sanath Jayasuriya) asked me to take it easy and, gradually, I settled down. On whether he strives hard to consistently clock 140-plus kmph, or that the pace comes naturally It's natural, it's God-given. On the wicket which has given him the most satisfaction Jacques Kallis in the first innings of the Durban Test, when I induced him to hook straight down square-leg's throat. [Incidentally, Fernando picked up five wickets in that innings.] On being lucky to get Sourav Ganguly in the first innings of the Galle Test It does appear the ball hit his left shoulder but, then, it went past his gloves and his hands were right next to the face. So, what is to say the ball didn't brush the gloves first? In any case, I got him in the second innings, too, didn't I? On whether he got carried away on seeing the green top at the International Stadium Well, we knew what the wicket would look like... No, I didn't get very excited. As it turned out, the wicket didn't quite have the pace it initially promised. On the adjustment between Test and one-day cricket But I bowl at the same speed... My mental make-up, at least, isn't any different. On handling the pressures of big-time cricket I don't put myself under pressure at all. After all, I know I can't always be successful... What's important is that I give my hundred per cent each time. On whether it's tough staying injury-free Actually, much depends on what destiny has for you... But, yes, I religiously follow what our physio (Alex Kontouri) prescribes. At the moment, I'm heavily into weights. There's an old saying, 'early to bed and early to rise'. I'm particular about that as well. On his heroes outside cricket Just one - Shaquille O'Neill On his hobbies (Smiles again) Music, films... Whenever I can, I watch Hindi movies and am a fan of Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee. On whether he is superstitious No, but I'm God-fearing. Finally, on his career best (five for 42) in the first innings at Galle It's special because it's the first time I got five wickets in an innings in Sri Lanka. It's very satisfying, too, as we won the Test. Having said that, this is just the beginning for me. I've got lots to do and, hopefully, lots of wickets will come my way.