Kumar Sangakkara, Sunil Gavaskar and a moment of perfection in Colombo

Yesterday, all of us who watched Kumar Sangakkara’s final match, witnessed perfection. No, not only a match without MS Dhoni, Duncan Fletcher or N Srinivasan – although that in itself is perfection. No, not only Virat Kohli winning his first Test – and there will be many, many more - as captain. [caption id=“attachment_2406778” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Kumar Sangakkara. AFP[/caption] No, not only because India won a fine, fine Test match – and there will be many, many more to come. No, not only because Sangakkara looked so good at the crease before the genius of Ashwin captured him once again. No – and this is difficult to say, but say it I will – not only because Sangakara is beyond all doubt the finest cricket player of the past ten years in all forms of international cricket. No, not only because he gave the most honest, from the heart farewell speech I have ever heard. No, not only because the Prime Minister and President of his beautiful country honoured him. All of these are wonderful, wonderful things … … But we truly witnessed perfection when Sunil Gavaskar spoke about Sangakkara. All that is great about cricket, all that is blessed and eternal about cricket – the vast canvas of the sport, and yet the exclusive camaraderie of the game – the humour, the personal respect, the acknowledgement of tradition and true greatness – it was all there to hear and see and feel as our greatest Test batsmen and their greatest Test batsmen looked at each other man to man, cricketer to cricketer, legend to legend both with tears in their hearts, if not in their eyes. We witnessed the perfection of sport overcoming all boundaries, all differences, all victories and defeats. Gavaskar had made the point that India had won, but Sangakkara shared the joy of cricket beautifully played. Gavaskar spoke as he seldom does; from the deep crease – creases – of his heart – and Sanga, he listened – with his eyes, his soul, his very being – as only he can –he brought out the very best in Gavaskar, as he has always brought out the very best in himself, and all he has ever played with, every been in contact with. In the beautiful early Colombo afternoon, time not only stood still – it sighed and almost cried – it paused, it smiled, and then put its arms around both men – and all of us. I was taken back to dark nights of listening to a shared transistor as Gavaskar battled in the West Indies – I was taken back to the East Stand at Wankhede – and watching entire Test matches with Gavaskar at his peak, and the sun at its prime. I was taken back to years when Sri Lanka was still Ceylon, and not a Test-playing nation – but, even more than this, the eyes and face of Sangakkara took me deep into today, where, in a world so wrapped up in its own futile race, there is still a place for a man who remains true to himself, to his family, to his sport, to his passion. Sangakkara has the highest Test average of any modern player – Jacque Kallis is the next closest – and more than six test runs per innings than Gavaskar. But neither were ever ‘average’ men – especially not Sanga – and as Sunil spoke, he knew that he spoke of a man and a cricketer who was above even him – a ‘kumar’ who never wanted to be a ‘shri’, and never will be. The series goes on, and the final Test is going to be just out of this world. But yesterday afternoon in Colombo, the world stopped – as only perfection can make it do. Sanga, there will never be another like you.