OTD: Arjuna Ranatunga was born in 1963

On this day in 1963, Sri Lanka witnessed the birth of one of its greatest captains, Arjuna Ranatunga. The legendary left-hander took Sri Lankan cricket to huge heights and also lifted the nation to its most iconic moment: the 1996 ICC World Cup win.

Ranatunga debuted as an 18-year-old in Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test in 1982, scoring the country’s first Test half-century. Over nearly 20 years, he became a consistent middle-order batter and a fierce captain. He guided an underdog team to dominance and played a crucial role in nurturing talents and defending his players.

He represented Sri Lanka in 93 Tests and 269 ODIs, scoring 5105 Test runs at an average of 35.69 and 7456 ODI runs at an average of 35.84, including four centuries each in both formats. As a bowler, he was an occasional medium pacer, taking 16 Test and 79 ODI wickets, with best figures of 4/14 in ODIs.

Taking over as captain in 1988, Ranatunga spent 11 years in the role. His most celebrated achievement came in 1996, when he led Sri Lanka to their maiden World Cup title, scoring the winning runs in the final. Under him, Sri Lanka also won the 1997 Asia Cup and achieved their first Test win in England (1998).

Ranatunga was famously confrontational when defending his team. His most iconic stand-off came in Adelaide when umpire Ross Emerson called Muttiah Muralitharan for chucking. Ranatunga stopped the play and threatened to walk off. He was also involved in fitness-related controversies, including calling for runners during long innings and clashes with Australian players during the 1995-96 tour.

The former lost the captaincy after the 1999 World Cup and retired in 2001 after becoming the only Sri Lankan to play in both the nation’s first and 100th Test. Post-retirement, he moved into commentary and cricket administration, serving as chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket in 2008, though he was later removed for controversial decisions. The Colombo-born also entered politics, serving as Deputy Minister for Tourism, later becoming Minister of Ports, Highways and Shipping.

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