Rangana Herath: Sri Lanka's unsung hero who thrives in the shadows
If you are born in the sub-continent, there is little that many dream of apart from being a cricketer. While it is true that most dream of being a sportsman, in the sub-continent, sport has always been synonymous with cricket. Some are drawn to it due to the money, others to the fame that comes with and then there are those who play it because they love it.
As the biggest sport, cricket usually has its fair share of detractors in these parts. There are those who crib that it takes away the eyes that could otherwise watch and marvel at other sports. Some complain that the money in the game is simply too much.
Yet, ask Rangana Herath, Sri Lanka's most consistent match-winner since Muttiah Muralitharan and he will tell you a completely different story. Despite entering into the record books with his 300th Test wicket, his story is of a man that has flourished under the radar, away from the prying eyes, sometimes even without the support of the selectors, who have failed to understand his value to the team.
He might not look like a cricketer at first glance but he is one of the few still flying the flag high for those who consider sport to be a triumph of spirit over struggle. His 300 wickets have come under circumstances that would have made any lesser man to consider his future in the sport.
How else can you explain why Herath, despite his obvious wicket-taking ability has only played 69 Tests in a career that has spanned 17 years? Even when he has contributed greatly to a historic cause, like he did on Sri Lanka's tour to South Africa in 2011-12, when he helped them win their first Test in the country with match figures of 9 for 128, he has managed to remain invisible.
Why isn’t he celebrated?
Perhaps the real reason why songs aren't being sung in his praise, as they were in Muralitharan's case or poems being written about his mysteriousness as it was for Ajantha Mendis or Sunil Narine, is because what he does isn't so obvious.
Maybe the real reason why the 38-year-old doesn't get all the credit that his achievements merit is because not many can truly understand him. Not Herath the person, but Herath the spinner, who became the 30th bowler to take 300 Test wickets.
Herath isn't a man of many tricks with the ball in hand. His carrom ball is obvious and ask any batsman who has faced him and they will tell you that he doesn't turn the ball a great deal. In fact, many consider his biggest asset to be his consistent line and lengths and ability to bowl long spells. Not exactly glowing recommendation for a bowler who is only the third Sri Lankan to pick up 300 Test wickets.
Secret to Herath’s success
Yet, like he has done throughout his career, he has found a way through the batsman's defence. Without extravagant turn or mystery balls, he has outfoxed the batsmen who have never considered him "world-class". Although he relies on beating the batsmen through flight, the deviation is almost always negligible.
How then has he managed to be so successful? The simple answer is the unknown. Much like the selectors, who have little idea about what to do with him, the batsmen too aren't sure of what they can or should do.
Whether to run him down to third man or go down the track and hit him over his head or just block him and hit the others. All these questions wander around in the batsman's head and it is their inability to decide what to do that has been the real reason for Herath's success. His unassuming action and non-turning deliveries leaves batsmen dazed and confused.
And it is exactly this aspect of his game, the misunderstood part, that has contributed largely to the success of another left-arm tweaker in Ravindra Jadeja. If the batsman has little clue of what the ball will do then how can he hope to tackle it confidently? And if he doesn't consider you a threat, that complacency is always going to come back and bite him.
At 38 years of age, Herath might not have long in international cricket but he is someone who deserves to be appreciated. Not because of the number of wickets that he has taken or the matches he has won but because we might not get another like him.
After all, in the modern age of fitness-freaks, the odds of another cricketer, with a physique like Herath's is almost inconceivable. The same can be said for the mental toughness that the tweaker from Kurunegala possesses.
Not many can take that hits on the chin from selectors and still continue to produce performances that take your breath away like against India in 2015 when he helped Sri Lanka defend 176 with 7/48 after being dropped for no apparent reason in the series against Pakistan. Especially in this era of T20-dominated cricket where bowlers are becoming nothing more than cannon fodder and mental toughness is something that is severely lacking.
That is why we must cherish Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath, the spinner who moved mountains while living in the shadows.