The physique of Sri Lankan former skipper Arjuna Rantunga could surprise you all that how this guy could such a have long career and that too with such a great statistics in both ODIs and Tests. Arjuna Ranatung has proved all wrong by his batting master class. He was always confident and an innovative skipper on the field and he is the one master mind bringing the ICC World Cup 1996 to Srl Lanka and change the scenario of the little island.
The flabby shape of Arjuna Ranatunga made all lot to think what an energy this guy possess in his body that he made 5000 plus runs in Test Cricket and 7000 plus in ODIs.f his 5000 odd runs that he scored in Test cricket. Add to that, the 7000 plus runs in ODIs. A specialist left-handed batsman and part-time medium pace bowler, Ranatunga’s career with the Sri Lankan national team began in 1982, when Sri Lanka were relative beginners to international cricket and was a key player in the team. Under Ranatunga’s captaincy, Sri Lanka started to improve rapidly. He captained Sri Lanka in 56 of the 93 Tests, and 193 of the 260 ODIs he played in. Moreover, he led Sri Lanka to a World Cup victory in 1996.
Test Centuries
| Runs | Match | Against | Country | Year |
| 111 | 10 | India | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 1985 |
| 135* | 18 | Pakistan | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 1986 |
| 127 | 34 | Australia | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 1992 |
| 131 | 43 | South Africa | Moratuwa, Sri Lanka |
1993 |
| Test Debut | Venue | Date | Score | Result |
| England | England, Colombo | 17-21 Feb 1982 | 54, 2 | Eng won by 7 wkts |
| Last Test | Venue | Date | Score | Result |
| Australia | South Africa, Colombo | 6-10 Aug 2000 | 14, 28* | Match Drawn |
Ranatunga lost the national team captaincy in 1999 after Sri Lanka’s poor showing at the World Cup in England, although he was chosen as one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for that year. In June 2000, Ranatunga played in Sri Lanka’s 100th Test match, becoming the only player to represent his country in their first and hundredth Test. He retired from playing cricket in 2001.
