Kumar Sangakkara proud of being an effective batsman but doesn't consider himself stylish
Kumar Sangakkara said that he is proud of the runs he has accumulated in international cricket and in being an effective cricketer, Firstpost reports. The ever modest wicket keeper batsman also said that he didn‘t consider himself stylish and added that he just wants to be remembered for the way he played the game.
Sangakkara, Sri Lanka’s highest run-getter in Test & ODI cricket , will be retiring from international cricket after the second Test against India which starts at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo on Thursday. He had retired from T20 cricket in victorious fashion after guiding his team to World Twenty20 glory against the same opposition in 2014.
Sangakkara revealed that he will be continuing to play domestic cricket in T20 leagues across the world or turn out for Surrey in English county cricket after calling time on his international career.
"It’s not like you have to wind down permanently. I’ll be playing a couple of more years of cricket and then find a real job," he said. "It's great nowadays that even after you say goodbye to international cricket, you can still play some cricket.”
Sangakkara is considered one of the most elegant players to have played the game, but it’s not a view that is shared by the batsman himself.
"They always say left-handers are extremely graceful, but whenever I play the cover drive, with the back knee bent and head back, I just say to myself 'how can that be stylish?'" Sangakkara said. “When you play you see yourself in one way, but when you retire you see yourself as slightly better than what you actually were. Most of the things I do don't seem elegant.”
Sangakkara was voted Sri Lanka’s greatest cricketer in a recent poll conducted by ESPNCricinfo, garnering a staggering 15% more votes than spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan who was considered the front-runner. Though he said that he was happy was happy with his cricketing records, Sangakkara added that he would like to be remembered for the way he played and how he interacted with his fellow teammates.
“I’m glad I made up with the amount of runs I’ve scored and how effective I’ve been. But I want to be remembered as just who I was, how I played and how I interacted with the team in the dressing room," Sangakkara said.
Mahela Jayawardene pays tribute to Sangakkara
Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have been Sri Lanka’s mainstays in the batting department for a number of years and have developed a great friendship off the field as well. They announced their retirement from T20 cricket together and did the same when it came to the ODI format as well stepping away after the 2015 World Cup.
The pair also shared a world-record partnership of 624 against South Africa in 2006 and Jayawardene paid rich tribute to his close friend describing him as one of the game's all-time greats.
“In any international sport, there are only a few who attained greatness in every aspect, whether for your performance on the field or your conduct off it. Kumar was one such player," he said.