Arjuna Ranatunga is one of the best captains cricket has ever seen. On this day in 1963, the legendary cricketer was born. The former aggressive captain turns 60 today. The former Sri Lankan cricketer is regarded highly in the cricket fraternity. The legacy of Ranatunga as a leader is amazing. In 1996, Arjuna became the first and only captain till date from Sri Lanka to lift an ODI World Cup. Back then, it was considered an upset.
But Ranatunga was a gutsy person. When asked which team they would prefer to be in the final, he replied saying that they would like to face Australia. For a captain of a team like Sri Lanka, he said something which sent a message to both the dressing rooms. It was a strong statement, which just did not come as a mere statement, but was turned to reality. Sri Lankan players became mentally strong after it.
In the semifinal of the 1996 ODI World Cup, Sri Lanka humiliated the home side India by beating them in their own backyard. In front of a packed house at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Sri Lanka broke the hearts of millions of Indian fans. In the final in Lahore, Ranatunga and co. overcame their biggest challenge to chase down the highest ever score in a World Cup final.
In the tournament, Ranatunga shined as a captain and as a batter. The Southpaw scored 241 runs as a finisher at an average of over 120, and at a strike rate of over 114. In 1996, that was insane for a batter. In the final of the tournament, Ranatunga scored an unbeaten 54 and helped Sri Lanka to not just recover from a collapse, but take them home.
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As a leader, Ranatunga was inspirational. He stood by his players no matter what the situation was. When Muttiah Muralitharan was subjected to the accusations of chucking, Ranatunga backed the young spinner and gave him the confidence. With the bat, he was underrated, as his leadership often took the primary role to represent him.
Ranatunga was also a selfless cricketer. Many times, the Southpaw used to bat out of position so that other batters could bat in their natural positions. In the 1996 ODI World Cup, Ranatunga seemed to push others to bat above him, while he himself scored runs without affecting the combination of the team. It paid dividends for Sri Lankan cricket in the end.
Under the tenure of Ranatunga, some of the greatest Sri Lankan cricketers came out. The likes of Mahela Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, and many others got a name for themselves under the leadership of Ranatunga. Many regard Ranatunga as one of the greatest captains of all-time. The Sri Lankans regard him as their greatest leader.
With the bat, Ranatunga is still one of the fewest batters to have scored over 7000 runs while batting mostly at number 5 or lower in ODIs. Ranatunga was known to be an impactful batter. For his time, Ranatunga was aggressive. Sanath Jayasuriya, Aravinda De Silva, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Roshan Mahanama, Kumar Dharmasena, and several other cricketers became the best versions of themselves under Ranatunga.
Outside his playing days, Ranatunga has been recently known for some of the statements which are making headlines. In that regard, he’s probably known in a bad light. But purely for his cricketing genius, Ranatunga can be regarded as a revolutionary cricketer for Sri Lanka. Till date, he’s one of the fewest Asian captains to win the ODI World Cup.