Biography of Kumar Sangakkara :- Kumar Sangakkara is a master class; he excelled everywhere, in cricket, badminton, swimming, tennis, and what not. Sanga left cricket with respect and structure such tall that no one could dare to surpass it.
With down to earth and humble personality, Sangakkara was a wicketkeeper-batsman when he made his ODI debut at 22. Kumar Sangakkara was born on 27 October 1977 in Matale, his father later moved to Kandy for the education of Sangakkara and his siblings.
Kumar Sangakkara is the record holder for most dismissals behind the stumps, he is also the second highest run scorer in International cricket after Sachin Tendulkar.
Biography of Kumar Sangakkara
- Born:- 27 October 1977 (age 39), Matale, Sri Lanka
- Height:- 1.78 m
- Spouse:- Yehali Sangakkara (m. 2003)
- Test Debut:- 20 July 2000 v South Africa
- ODI Debut:- 5 July 2000 v Pakistan
- Last ODI:- 18 March 2015 v South Africa
At Trinity College Kandy, Kumar Sangakkara was bright in sports and education. He was exceptional in cricket among all sports he played.
See Also: Biography of Lasith Malinga
Sanga was captain and leading batsman of his college team, Sanga played for Trinity College for Under-13, Under-15, Under-17, and Under-19 tournaments. At the age 21, Sangakarra was first selected in Sri Lanka A squad when A team toured South Africa.
International Career of Kumar Sangakkara
Sangakkara made his ODI and Test debut a year later when he was 22 for his wicket keeping and batting performance in South Africa. He made a 35-run inning on his debut against Pakistan.
In the second match heplayed against South Africa, he was awarded man of the match award for his 85-run inning. Sanga was one of the most successful batsmen in the series with his 199 runs, he was also selected for test series against South Africa.
In 2001, Sri Lanka defeated India in a home series and Sanga showed as one of the most talented batsmen with a century. In the next home series, Sanga amassed another ton against West Indies.
In the next season in 2002, Kumar Sangakkara made his first double century in test cricket, this time in Asian Test Championship final against Pakistan. In 2004, Sanga made another double century, this time surpassing 250 against Zimbabwe.
Next season in 2006, Kumar Sangakkara was made vice-captain in a home series against Pakistan for test and ODI series in place of injured Atapattu. It was the first time, Sanga and Jayawardene pair was recognized for their long-lasting partnerships.
He made another double ton, this time 287 against South Africa. Sangakkara along with Mahela Jayawardene made a world-record partnership of 624 runs in a test match. In the next year, Sangakkara was awarded number one spot in Test rankings.
At the time, Sangakkara was part of World International XI that played ODI series against Australia. He ended up with an average of 46. He was also included in World Test XI test team, he was part of the touring team that was attacked in Pakistan by terrorists in 2009.
Sanga suffered shoulder injuries in the incident, in 2007, Sangakkara scored two double centuries becoming the fifth cricketer in history to achieve the milestone.
After Mahela had stepped down from captaincy, Sangakkara was made the captain of the team for at least next two years, his first challenge was ICC T20 World Cup that he accomplished by reaching the finals. In the next series against India, Sri Lankan team was out of form for the whole season.
After a tri-series win and tour to Australia, Sanga and his boys got their confidence and form back by winning T20 and ODI series in Australia.
In ICC World Cup 2011, Sri Lanka reached the finals after being defeated by India. In the whole tournament, Sangakkara personal record was exceptional, his 465 runs in nine matches were third-highest in ICC World Cup 2011. Sanga stepped down from T20i and ODI captaincy.
Later in 2011, Sangakkara made 516 in three matches, his score against Pakistan earned him the man of the series award despite Pakistan winning the series. Sangakkara made his first triple century in 2014 against Bangladesh, in the second innings, he beautified his crucial Test match with another century.
In 2014, Kumar Sangakarra and Mahela Jayawardene made the highest partnership runs for 3rd wicket partnership at Galle. Sri Lanka won the ICC T20i World Cup 2014 beating India, Sanga made 51 runs in the final match.
At the end of 2014, Sangakkara topped ODI rankings reaching 13,000 runs in ODIs, becoming the fourth batsman to reach there. After ICC World Cup 2015, Sangakkara retired from ODI cricket.
With 11 test double centuries, he is the second highest double century maker only behind Sir Don Bradman. His 70-ball century in ICC World Cup 2015 was highest by any Sri Lankan cricketer in World Cups. He also became the first batsman in history scoring four consecutive centuries in World Cups.
Kumar Sangakkara Stats and Records
Sanga was fastest to reach 9,000 runs, 10,000 runs, 11,000 runs, 12,000 runs in test format. The year 2012 was the most successful season for Kumar Sangakkara, he was named ICC Test and cricketer of the year.
In 2011 and 2013, Sanga was awarded ODI player of the year award by ICC. He also won People’s Choice Award and is the second highest runs corer in Cricket history, maximum number of dismissals behind stumps in ODI cricket breaking Adam Gilchrist record.
He is also the highest run maker for Sri Lanka in ODIs. His 38 centuries in Test Cricket are more than any Sri Lankan cricketer in history.
International Cricket Leagues
Sangakkara was part of Kings XI Punjab from 2008, 2009, 2010 seasons. In 2011, Deccan Chargers bought him for the next season. Kumar Sangakkara captained Sun Risers Hyderabad for 2013 season of IPL.
Sanga was part of Jamaica Tallawahs in 2013 season of Caribbean Premier League. In 2015, Kumar Sangakkara joined Quetta Gladiators for 2016 season inaugural PSL. In Cricket Australia’s GOAT survey, Sangakkara won the Great Of All Time award on public choice.
Kumar Sangakkara – Personal Life & Family
Kumar Sangakkara is married to Yehali. They have twins, a girl Swyree and son Kavith. Kumar Sangakkara wife Yehali played an important part in Sanga’s life sacrificing everything for his success. All of his siblings are sportsman at the national level. Kumar Sangakkara family resides in Kandy.
