Kumar Sangakkara finished his career being one of the greatest batsmen of world cricket. He has the highest percent of run contribution to his country Sri Lanka. He played five finals of ICC tournaments. Statistically, Sangakkara is the greatest batsman of Sri Lanka, but in terms impact and preference he does not match the stature of 1996 world cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, Sangakkara’s former teammate and one of the greatest spinners of world cricket Muttiah Muralitharan said.
Muralitharan himself is a well-respected man in Sri Lanka not only for his on-field contribution to his country but also for charity work in his Tamil community. The highest wicket taker in Test cricket said.
Ranatunga, the left-handed batsman who transformed a gifted but meek side into a world-beating force that looked at the eye of the opposition and had the mental ability to turn up on the big days.
“Arjuna made us believe in ourselves. He did it for two decades. We owe a lot to him. He helped us become a force in world cricket. He is definitely the most influential cricketer Sri Lanka ever produced,” Muralitharan said on air on Monday, without belittling Sangakkara’s contribution,” Muralitharan said in a conversation with Sanjay Manjrekar and Sunil Gavaskar of India at P.Sara Oval.
Before Ranatunga, Sri Lanka cricket team was an introvert that hardly attracted spectators, from there Ranatunga’s intelligent and aggressive’s leadership transformed into a reckoning force. Batsmen like Aravinda ‘Mad Max’ De Silva, Roy Dias and Duleep Mendis had become the cult figures in Sri Lanka.
At a time when cricket had been dominated by West Indies, and later by Australia Ranatunga, started his journey in 1982. He was never afraid of fighting at the lion’s den. One of the epic examples of his bravadoes came on January 23, 1999, in Adelaide, when Ranatunga walked off the pitch protesting against Australian umpire Ross Emerson’s decision to call Muralitharan for chucking the ball.
“Kumar was a perfectionist. Coaches hated him because he would keep batting for two hours during nets. But I would reckon Mahela was the most talented we ever had,” Muralitharan said, adding: “Aravinda and Sanath redefined the way cricket was played …very difficult to replace them.”
Ranatunga was the only man who played Sri Lanka’s first and 100th Test, but his tactics in limited changed the way Sri Lanka approached ODIs over the year. Under him, Jayasuriya became the most dangerous opener and Muralitharan the most venomous spinner.
Ranatunga after his retirement ran the Sri Lanka Cricket and even show his successor the way to stardom. Kumar Sangakkara would have to play a brisk second innings of his life to match the off-field of a popular Ranatunga.