Jaipur: No doubt the Sri Lankan team is made up of top cricketers, but the cricket fans in Jaipur only wanted to see their new players like Upul Tharanga, the opening sensation of Sri Lanka and Farveez Maharoof, the pacer who destroyed the West Indies.
Soft-spoken Tharanga was very unassuming when he revealed how he had survived some serious setbacks in his life to reach where he is today.
Nostalgia was evident on his face when he spoke about that disastrous day when a tsunami struck major coastal parts of Sri Lanka.
"My house in Amabalangoda, which is a fishing town in Sri Lanka, was destroyed during the tsunami. My family escaped, but my father's fishing business completely collapsed. It almost put an end to my ambitions of playing for Sri Lanka," he said.
"I was not even in a position to afford a kit for myself," he says, and is quick to recollect how his team-mate wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara helped him immensely to tide over that difficult phase of his life.
"Sangakkara gave me some money. He also gave me his cricket bat. For the rest of that season I used all his cricketing gear to play. I am deeply obliged to him," he said humbly.
And the money that he earns by playing for Sri Lanka is helping his family resettle.
Then what was the turning point of his career? "When I hit a 117 against South Africa in the Under-19 World Cup. I think the selectors took note of me after this incident," he feels. Having made vital contributions to the team so far, Tharanga has only one aim.
"I want to score as many runs as possible and become a permanent member of the team."
