As soon as anyone who loves cricket hears the name Kumar Sangakara the first thing that comes to mind is the humility and grace with which he plays the sport. The next thing that clicks the imagination is his exclusive cover drive which no one can match ever.
Kumar Sangakara is one of the finest students of cricket and a true gentleman, his grace on and off the field is unmatched. Soon after starting his test and one-day career in 2000 Kumar Sangakkara became the strong pillar of the Sri Lankan batting lineup. Sri Lanka has produced various brilliant and classy batsmen to world cricket like Arvinda De Silva, Sanath Jayasurya, Marwan Attapattu, and Mahela Jayawardene but Kumar Sangakara stands in a different position of himself. He is one of those guys who we can proudly say served the sport in the purest of spirits and passion. The way with which he carried himself during his career of 15 years in all formats of the game is proof of this guy’s sincerity and commitment.
Now let’s talk about the numbers of Kumar Sangakara, he played 134 test matches and scored 12,350 runs at a mind-blowing average of 57.71. In his test career, he scored 38 centuries and 11 double centuries which is only 1 short of Don Bradman’s 12 double tons. His highest in the test is 319 and he also holds the record for the highest partnership in a test with his friend and teammate Mahela Jayawardene of 624 runs against South Africa in 2006 at Colombo.
He played 404 one-day internationals and scored 14234 runs at an average of 41.98 and 25 centuries to his name. He adapted to T-20 cricket with so much ease that he won the T-20 world cup in 2014 and was awarded the man of the match award in the final against India. He stood tall and strong not only in batting but also in wicketkeeping for the Sri Lankan team. He did 20 stumping in tests and 99 in one-day internationals. Now numbers speak for themselves but Kumar Sangakkara’s cricket is above these numbers.
This article is incomplete without speaking about that cover drive – head and elbow in perfect line eyes on the ball and one knee down on the ground and the balls are kissing the ropes. Kumar Sangakara played a perfect cover drive that was such a pleasure to your eyes that you can watch him driving the ball all day long without any breaks.
The test against India at Colombo is his last international match, he is leaving behind a legacy that will be followed by generations to come. We wish legendary Sanga all the best for his future.
“Kumar Sangakkara is a legend and will remain an inspiration for generations to come and yes two things for which he will be remembered till eternity are – his grace on and off the field and that cover drive for sure.”
Kumar Sangakkara & Cover Drive : A Love Story
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