Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakarra made his debut for Sri Lanka in 2000 while he was still a law student. He since became a mainstay behind the stumps and proved his credentials as a batsmen for all three formats. The cut and the pull came naturally to him and with growing confidence, he became a more assured front-foot player as well. Sangakkara has refined the belligerence, combining a suave exterior with cutting asides and sharp sledges from behind the stumps. He alongwith Mahela Jayawardene carried the Sri Lankan innings on numerous occasions, most famously putting up 624 runs for the third wicket, pulverizing a South African bowling attack that had the likes of Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini. Sangakkara scored 287 runs while Jayawardene scored 374. Sangakarra became captain after Jayawerdene relinquished the role.