Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene, a masterful technician oozing class, has been the lynchpin of the Sri Lankan batting line-up for the last decade and more. He heralded a seamless transition to the new era of the Sri Lankan middle-order. Along with Kumaa Sangakarra, he ensured the absence of yesteryear greats, Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga was hardly felt. A prolific run-scorer, a shrewd thinker of the game and a sharp fielder, Jayawardene is one of the finest cricketers, the Island nation has produced. His achievements have been recognised by the international cricketing fraternity when in 2006, the ICC named him the Captain of the Year and the captain of the World ODI team of the year. In 2007, he was named one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year.

Jayawardene made his debut in the historic 1997 Test match between India and Sri Lanka, in which the Lankans posted the highest-ever total in history of 952/6 declared. Being a part of this gargantuan effort perhaps multiplied his appetite for runs - he has scored six double hundreds including a triple, after scoring his first century in only his fourth Test on a wickedly turning Galle track against New Zealand.

He has had his share of rough patches - being dropped from the side in 2003 due to lack of form in the ODIs, particularly in the 2003 World Cup. However, he rebounded strongly thanks to a good series against England, followed by a solid 2004.

In 2006, the year in which he was made captain for both Tests and ODIs, he scored a majestic 374 against South Africa, the highest individual score in Tests for a Sri Lankan. His record-breaking effort came while being involved in a partnership of 624 with Kumara Sangakarra, the highest for any wicket in First-Class cricket, a landmark that stands undimmed by the passage of time.

His greatest moment as a captain was the 2007 World Cup, where he led Sri Lanka to the final on the back of one century and four half-centuries. . In a somewhat surprising decision, Jayawardene relinquished the captaincy following a 4-1 ODI drubbing to India in February 2009.

Jayawardene's batting is a thing of beauty and is a joy to watch. The princely drives and dexterous flicks continue to evoke awe and envy in generous measures. He became the first Sri Lankan batsman to tally 10,000 Test runs in addition to joining the slim, yet elite list of batsmen, who have compiled a ton in each format of the game. He has also amassed 10,000 plus runs in ODIs. Believe it or not, the fact is that Jayawardene is the only cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to have made 600 international appearances. With his glorious batting hogging the limelight, Jayawardene's agile fielding and catching skills tend to slip under the radar. He has taken 413 catches across formats.

With Sri Lankan cricket finding itself in dire straits, following the departure of Muttiah Muralitharan, Jayawardene took over the reins from Tillakaratne Dilshan in the 2011-12 season in the aftermath of losses in England, UAE, South Africa, with the most painful of all being the defeat at home against Australia

Jayawardene celebrated his return to captaincy with a typically silken 180, his 21st Test ton, which knocked England off the perch. He also led the Emerald Islanders to the World T20 2012 final at home. Just when one thought they would shed that eternal bridesmaids tag that had become an albatross around their necks, Sri Lanka again faltered at the final hurdle.

Soon after, expressing his reluctance to carry on as captain, Jayawardene passed the baton over to heir apparent, Angelo Mathews. Notably, Jayawardene has a penchant for the big occasion. If any doubts resurface over the aforementioned point, look back at the 2007 World Cup semi- final, 2011 World Cup final and the 2014 Asia Cup final.

In an era of freelance clubbers of the ball, Jayawardene proved that proper batsmanship could be equally effective, if not more, in T20 cricket. Having suffered heartbreaks in several finals of World events, Sri Lanka finally shrugged off their bridesmaids tag on a fairytale night in Mirpur in April 2014, beating India to claim their maiden World T20 title in 2014. It also turned out to be Jayawardene and Sangakkara's T20 swansong. Fittingly, the Sri Lankan ace signed off as the highest run-getter in T20Is.

More than the plethora of records, the biggest contribution of Jayawardene has been the rich values he has showered on Sri Lankan cricket. He is a thorough gentleman to boot and is a perfect role-model for aspiring cricketers. He retired from Tests in August 2014, following the two-match home series against Pakistan. In January 2015, Jayawardene scored his 18th ODI ton against New Zealand, his first century on New Zealand soil in his 17-year limited overs career. He soon drew curtains on a much celebrated International career, retiring from ODIs as well with Sri Lanka crashing out of the 2015 World Cup quarters.

But cricket refuses to leave the great man alone. Mahela now plays around the world in the budding T20 leagues and is a much revered voice in the commentary box with his analysis. Since his retirement he has also tried his hand at coaching stints like the one he did with the English team prior to the World T20 in India as their consultant. He took over from Ricky Ponting as the head coach of the Mumbai Indians franchise in the IPL for the 2017 season, leading them to title victories in 2017 and 2019.

Lesser known facts about Mahela:

1. Mahela had a younger brother Dishal, who passed away at the tender age of 16 because of a dangerous brain tumour.
2. Mahela is a big fan of Tom Hanks with his favourite movie being Saving Private Ryan.
3. Mahela is extremely fond of sea food.
4. Joining hands with close friend and team-mate, Kumar Sangakkara, who is also a big foodie, Mahela launched a sea food restaurant called Ministry of Crab in the capital city of Colombo amidst much fanfare in September 2012.
5. Mahela is married to Christina Mallika Sirisena, a travel consultant.

By Cricbuzz staff
As of February 2017