A cricketer respected and admired in India

If he was an instantly recognizable personality in Sri Lanka, Arjuna Ranatunga was a familiar figure for Indian cricket fans too. TV viewers in this country were well acquainted with his `roly poly' gait, his easy stance at the wicket, his inimitable stroke play and perhaps most fondly for his running - or is it walking - between the wickets.

But it was not just via the idiot box that he became a well known cricketer in India. He made five tours with Test sides, setting aside the trips he made for tournaments like the World Cup or the Asia Cup. And he played in three rubbers against India in Sri Lanka, besides the Asian Test Championship match last year. Not many cricketers have played more than 20 Tests against India. Ranatunga, who played in exactly that number, scored 867 runs, not exactly a record in keeping with his overall ability. But in some of the matches he did not even get an innings with rain playing a major role. He had only one century, 111 in the first Test of the 1985-86 series.

But Ranatunga had other areas of satisfaction in his extended playing career against India. Like when he was a member of the side that won the first ever rubber in Test cricket in 1985-86. Or when he was captain of the team which ran up the highest total in Test cricket, at Colombo in 1997. And he had the memorable experience of leading his side to victory twice over India during their victorious campaign in 1996. Even as recently as 1997-98 he was captain of the side that drew all three Tests in India, a creditable experience.

Of course there was the other side of the coin in his playing experiences against India. He was a member of the side that lost badly in 1986-87. He was the captain of the side that lost all three Tests by an innings - something that had not happened since 1928 - in 1994. Indeed, from 1982-83, when he played in the first Test between Sri Lanka and India at Chennai to his last appearance against this country in the Asian Test Championship in Colombo in 1998-99, he had truly experienced the ups and downs of the game.

But more than his batting or captaincy skills, Ranatunga will be remembered most of all as a pleasing and endearing personality. I got to know him during my visits to Sri Lanka for the 1996 World Cup and for the Singer Cup later that year. I found him friendly and accessible, easy to strike up a conversation with and always ready with an obliging smile. He was also almost a reporter's dream in that he was always ready with a good quote. His humour did not desert him even when his team was going through the disastrous tour in 1994. He certainly takes his place among the enduringly charming characters among visiting cricketers who have played in India.