I remember watching that 66 run innings live at Eden Gardens with my dad. De Silva absolutely destroyed our spirit with that counter, and India never really recovered. Even while he was playing that inns, people in the stands couldn't help but be mesmerized with the pure brilliance of his shot making. The match ended with massive outbursts unfortunately, but Sri Lanka had somehow won the match already in the first 30 overs we felt. Incredible talent.. one of my favorite batsman to watch.. Aravinda always looked like a million dollars. Much love ❤️ from India
Peak Aravinda(96 to 98) was better than Tendulkar. Obviusly tendulkar had longevity and more runs, but that 66 and 100( plus 3 wkts) in the semis and finals of a world cup are up there with the best ever. Both high pressure scenarios and ge walks in wirh his tram 2 doen for kess than 20 and produces masterclass, and on toigh pitches against great bowlers like kumble, mcgrath, warne etc. Tendulkar barely delivered in high pressure situations, esp on tough pitches against the best bowlers
An extremely underrated cricketer. He would have been an all time legend globally had he played in the 2000's. Loved Aravinda. One of my absolute favourites.
U had to be there during that era to see what a cricketer Aravinda was. As an Indian who watched him bat in the 90s, we were more scared of him than Jayasuriya. Pretty much the best Sri Lankan batsman of all time, a prolific all rounder, an extremely gutsy player who inspired a generation of players in SL to play the game. The hero of the WC semifinal & final of 1996. A cricketer who exemplified the word "counter-attack" as he was a player who had the ability to raise his game equivalent to his opposition.
Undoubtedly the GOAT batter of SL Cricket. The moniker 'Mad Max' suited him so perfectly. Everything was so easy for him that he got bored eventually and then threw his wicket. It's only the big occasions which got him kicking on and decimating the opposition sides.
De silva. As a kid from a small village in punjab india.. we absolutely loved that SL team..jayasuriya, kalu, mahanama( just for that partnership against india and a. Silva. We were sachin kids.. and looked up ganguly and loved robin singh but that SL team .. loved them . When SL scored nearly a 1000 runs, we found a new love with batting for days in test cricket. We used to play 6 over a side and SL made us change to unlimited overs and we batted just batted haha
I've heard Sanath say in an interview that Aravinda played cricket like it was a part time thing whilst also being busy running his businesses. He would have reached different heights if he had put all his effort into cricket.
Aravinda de silva is the greatest talent ever born. No one like him he never had his own bat he came with what he got in dressing room. That much of a talent...❤️
Madmax for reason, if there was car for a prize during a tour, Aravind would score big or play well to get the player of the series... Stories from our grandparents ❤23
Haven't even watched the whole thing, and the answer to the rhetorical question is 'yes'. A thousand times, yes. Even Sanga is here shaking his head in admiration. There were things Aravinda did that still boggles the mind. How anyone can walk into Eden Gardens baying for blood at 0/2 in a world cup semi final, and bat like he did that day...GOAT Lankan batter playing, in my view, the greatest and most important innings by a Lankan in any format. And no one will convince me otherwise. - The oscilations of his mood and motivation: Very Lara-like, I think. There were days he was switched on, and there were days he was off. When it was on, dear god. - Why Australia: For the reasons you pointed out. I always thought just the mere mention of Australia made him, Lara and VVS change gears. Don't think it is a coincidence that their best performances were against Australia. - Eden Gardens 96: I don't think young Sri Lankan kids who grew up on Sanga and Mahela truly understand the weight of what Aravinda did to India that day - the team, the 100k people inside the stadium, the billions of Indians watching: you could almost feel the deflation of the nation's mood. And that was one man's doing. I don't think it is possible for those of us who lived through that World Cup, to describe how us Sri Lankans' mood went from crest-fallen to we-are-winning-this-and-nothing-is-going-to-stop-us, in the space of 4 overs in a 50 over World Cup semi. That was all because of Aravinda. Even when he got out at 62, I was pretty much sure that the cricket gods were with us, and that they were playing for us through Aravinda. Sachin's innings may have made us wonder for a bit but Aravinda's innings had given us a resolve that this was destiny. - The 167 in Gabba is my favourite Aravinda innings. Man was hooking Rackerman and Huges and Lawson into the lawn for fun. Watch the innings again, and you will see how far back his feet were: almost _behind_ the stumps from where he'd pivot and swivel into the hook. I will always say Ponting is the best exponent of the Pull and Hook, but Aravinda - for a dude raised on low-bouncing Lankan wickets - pulled like he was was brought up at the WACA - John Mayer said that Aravinda's innings for Kent in the BH final made him shed tears of joy, calling it one of the beautiful innings he had ever witnessed - Incredibly underrated off-spinner. Arjuna would stiffle opposition batting in the middle overs of ODI games using Aravinda and Sanath, before bringing back Murali and Vaas to finish the job. As a kid growing up in that era, I used to call it the noose-tightening phase of the game. Aravinda and Sanath were incredibly smart bowlers because they understood how batters thought and approached an innings. It was that phase of the game during India's chase in the WC Semi Final of 96 that ultimately ensured victory - Even today, Aravinda is the only celebrity that turns me into a star struck 13 year old boy.
I still remember that mad innings of 96 semifinal. We were jumping in joy after getting Kalu and Sanath so early. They were the danger men. And then came Aravinda, scoring at 150 sr. And opposite side was Mahanama, and then Rantunga, calm as cucumber. We lost the match there. Even if Sachin were there, i highly doubt on that spinning track, our other 9 wicket could stay with him to chase 250. Sachin had to score 180 for us to win that match
SL had Jayasuriya and Kalu opening but there was no respite knowing that Desilva was to follow. And in many ways, scarier than the openers. With the openers there was a chance of some of their overly aggressive shots to go to a fielder. With de Silva it was a lot more hopeless. Yep, he was that good. Great video
I remember reading an article in one of the sports magazines (in my home state Kerala in Malayalam language), comparing him to Tendulkar, like if Aravinda had opened in ODIs he would have scored many centuries like Sachin. This was around circa 97/98.
He was a player for the biggest occasions. Not for him grinding out a long career for a high average. He was a gladiator intent on destroying bowlers. He ranks with Lara and Tendulkar on his astonishing talent. Not for him this training hard and physical fitness. He was Mad Max coming into kill the opposition. Srilanka had one other equally great or even greater batsman from a different era. Sathasivam who was accused of murdering his wife. One of his friends visited him in prison and 'Satha' asked him whether his wife thinks he was guilty. His friend said yes. When the friend was leaving Satha said tell your wife she is the next on the list. My father in law who played with Satha told me he would drink till he passed out at the end of the day and they will carry him home and he will turn up the next morning and score a century. He was hopeless as a fielder because he was drunk. He was a magical batsman possibly the best in the world. He is the only cricketer ever to captain three International sides- Ceylon , Singapore and Malaysia. Both Frank Worrell and Gary Sobers called him the greatest batsman they have seen. Jarrod Kimber should do an article on him.
Feel like a lot of Sanga and Mahelas love for Aravinda comes from his captaincy which is undoubtedly at minimum the 2nd greatest in history and that seeps into their reverence for him as a batsman despite them being much better than him Sanggakara averaged 67!! when he was playing as a specialist batter
Arjuna was total control freak who had streak instructions all his players but When it came to Aravinda He let him do what ever he want and for that Aravinda won Sri-lanka the world cup
The GOAT SL batter. Aravinda IS Sri Lanka cricket. He is the blueprint. He basically caried SL from the ICC debut to the very top of world cricket on his back in 1996. There were maby thousands who stopped watching cricket when De Silva retired. There will never be another. Cricket was just a hobby to him as his real job was being a businessman.
He was a great player. Fantastic to watch. Not Sri Lanka's best, but probably their most talented. For me, Sanga would be the best-ever Sri Lankan batter. De Silva is like the Saeed Anwar of Sri Lankan cricket. You know he was great, but you had to see it to believe it...
I don't care if Sangakkara says it himself, I'd take Sanga any day. I think he's just being nice. Don't get me wrong, Aravinda was a class bat, but you can't argue with Sanga's record.
Sanga says it because it's true. If I were to name anyone ever in world cricket to bat for my life, I would pick Aravinda, if only to watch one more innings of his.
On a more serious note, it's very telling that in 1991 both ODI matches the veritable master Dibbly Dobbly bowler Gavin Larsen managed to scalp him in single digits twice. Almost proving Sanga's comment, like he had glazed over because on came the oppositions worst bowler.
He is the best batsman sri lanka had ever produce...unfortunately srl did not had matches regularly. If yes he would have scored 15000 easily. Best off spinner ever produce is legendary murali... ara...is the 2nd highest off spjnner after murali... he is the only batsman who can change batting stance, any bat, grips even in same innings.... a silent guy hardly speaks, but his knowledge is brilliant. A gentleman, a team man, helped alot for poor and young poor cricketrs as well.. sport car guy
your name sounds like you could be from India. so how come your grandfather who I assume was also indian couldn't pronounce "Aravinda"? which literally means "The Lotus" in sanskrit.
not that hard to choose the greatest out of only two :P Sri Lanka have been a pretty mediocre team like New Zealand. Only Sanga and Aravinda were any impressive and the latter averaged in his 30s in Odis lol.
Highly overrated cricketer. His peak was very very high which makes cricketers who actually have to work hard for their runs feel like they are looking at something special.
Imagine a control freak like Arjuna saying "let Aravinda be Aravinda"...
Yeah
Yeah. Pretty much sums it up.
It's like captain America saying to Hulk "Hulk! SMASH"
I remember watching that 66 run innings live at Eden Gardens with my dad. De Silva absolutely destroyed our spirit with that counter, and India never really recovered. Even while he was playing that inns, people in the stands couldn't help but be mesmerized with the pure brilliance of his shot making. The match ended with massive outbursts unfortunately, but Sri Lanka had somehow won the match already in the first 30 overs we felt. Incredible talent.. one of my favorite batsman to watch.. Aravinda always looked like a million dollars. Much love ❤️ from India
Peak Aravinda(96 to 98) was better than Tendulkar. Obviusly tendulkar had longevity and more runs, but that 66 and 100( plus 3 wkts) in the semis and finals of a world cup are up there with the best ever. Both high pressure scenarios and ge walks in wirh his tram 2 doen for kess than 20 and produces masterclass, and on toigh pitches against great bowlers like kumble, mcgrath, warne etc. Tendulkar barely delivered in high pressure situations, esp on tough pitches against the best bowlers
An extremely underrated cricketer. He would have been an all time legend globally had he played in the 2000's. Loved Aravinda. One of my absolute favourites.
U had to be there during that era to see what a cricketer Aravinda was. As an Indian who watched him bat in the 90s, we were more scared of him than Jayasuriya. Pretty much the best Sri Lankan batsman of all time, a prolific all rounder, an extremely gutsy player who inspired a generation of players in SL to play the game. The hero of the WC semifinal & final of 1996. A cricketer who exemplified the word "counter-attack" as he was a player who had the ability to raise his game equivalent to his opposition.
This is like a love letter to Aravinda and by far he was definitely the best batsman produced by Sri Lanka
Undoubtedly the GOAT batter of SL Cricket. The moniker 'Mad Max' suited him so perfectly. Everything was so easy for him that he got bored eventually and then threw his wicket. It's only the big occasions which got him kicking on and decimating the opposition sides.
I am from india. He is one of the greatest batsmen ever
De silva. As a kid from a small village in punjab india.. we absolutely loved that SL team..jayasuriya, kalu, mahanama( just for that partnership against india and a. Silva. We were sachin kids.. and looked up ganguly and loved robin singh but that SL team .. loved them . When SL scored nearly a 1000 runs, we found a new love with batting for days in test cricket. We used to play 6 over a side and SL made us change to unlimited overs and we batted just batted haha
Wow. That's a nice anecdote!
@@shantanuchoukikar @jastiwana1391 - how dare you forget Guru? Deshabandu Asanka Pradeep Gurusinha
That 66 against India in a SF in front of 100K Indians probably the best non-century inning of the history of cricket.
Hmmm....one Ben Stokes might slightly disagree..
The Godfather of pull shot. Its such a joy watching him pull out of nowhere. Most stylish batsmen after the Viv.
@@CricketGentlemensGame If you have watched enough Aravinda playing pull shots, you know my age. ..90's kid. What's your age btw?
Sir Viv was De Silva's idol nothing ironic 😊
That 66 in the '96 Semi was one of the best innings I have watched.
I've heard Sanath say in an interview that Aravinda played cricket like it was a part time thing whilst also being busy running his businesses. He would have reached different heights if he had put all his effort into cricket.
I'm English and ADS is the first cricketer I think of when I think of Sri Lanka
As an Indian cricket fan, Arvinda and Jayasuriya were a huge headache to the team. He was a great batsman.
Aravinda de silva is the greatest talent ever born. No one like him he never had his own bat he came with what he got in dressing room. That much of a talent...❤️
Loved him and was scared of him at the same time. Greatest of Sri Lanka and one of the greatest in the world
Madmax for reason, if there was car for a prize during a tour, Aravind would score big or play well to get the player of the series... Stories from our grandparents ❤23
Haven't even watched the whole thing, and the answer to the rhetorical question is 'yes'. A thousand times, yes. Even Sanga is here shaking his head in admiration. There were things Aravinda did that still boggles the mind. How anyone can walk into Eden Gardens baying for blood at 0/2 in a world cup semi final, and bat like he did that day...GOAT Lankan batter playing, in my view, the greatest and most important innings by a Lankan in any format. And no one will convince me otherwise.
- The oscilations of his mood and motivation: Very Lara-like, I think. There were days he was switched on, and there were days he was off. When it was on, dear god.
- Why Australia: For the reasons you pointed out. I always thought just the mere mention of Australia made him, Lara and VVS change gears. Don't think it is a coincidence that their best performances were against Australia.
- Eden Gardens 96: I don't think young Sri Lankan kids who grew up on Sanga and Mahela truly understand the weight of what Aravinda did to India that day - the team, the 100k people inside the stadium, the billions of Indians watching: you could almost feel the deflation of the nation's mood. And that was one man's doing. I don't think it is possible for those of us who lived through that World Cup, to describe how us Sri Lankans' mood went from crest-fallen to we-are-winning-this-and-nothing-is-going-to-stop-us, in the space of 4 overs in a 50 over World Cup semi. That was all because of Aravinda. Even when he got out at 62, I was pretty much sure that the cricket gods were with us, and that they were playing for us through Aravinda. Sachin's innings may have made us wonder for a bit but Aravinda's innings had given us a resolve that this was destiny.
- The 167 in Gabba is my favourite Aravinda innings. Man was hooking Rackerman and Huges and Lawson into the lawn for fun. Watch the innings again, and you will see how far back his feet were: almost _behind_ the stumps from where he'd pivot and swivel into the hook. I will always say Ponting is the best exponent of the Pull and Hook, but Aravinda - for a dude raised on low-bouncing Lankan wickets - pulled like he was was brought up at the WACA
- John Mayer said that Aravinda's innings for Kent in the BH final made him shed tears of joy, calling it one of the beautiful innings he had ever witnessed
- Incredibly underrated off-spinner. Arjuna would stiffle opposition batting in the middle overs of ODI games using Aravinda and Sanath, before bringing back Murali and Vaas to finish the job. As a kid growing up in that era, I used to call it the noose-tightening phase of the game. Aravinda and Sanath were incredibly smart bowlers because they understood how batters thought and approached an innings. It was that phase of the game during India's chase in the WC Semi Final of 96 that ultimately ensured victory
- Even today, Aravinda is the only celebrity that turns me into a star struck 13 year old boy.
Wow man ❤
I still remember that mad innings of 96 semifinal. We were jumping in joy after getting Kalu and Sanath so early. They were the danger men. And then came Aravinda, scoring at 150 sr. And opposite side was Mahanama, and then Rantunga, calm as cucumber. We lost the match there. Even if Sachin were there, i highly doubt on that spinning track, our other 9 wicket could stay with him to chase 250. Sachin had to score 180 for us to win that match
As an Indian who grew up in 90's , I can definitely say Aravinda is my favourite SL batsman. Such a class player and love to see his batting
Arguably the greatest Sri-Lankan sportsman of all time.
Aravinda is GOATed beyond explanation.
Sachin and Aravinda were the best pullers of short ball ,during 90s cricket ,with quick reflexes.
Great piece Jarrod! I still remember the amazing article on cricket with balls about Chaminda Vass when he retired
SL had Jayasuriya and Kalu opening but there was no respite knowing that Desilva was to follow. And in many ways, scarier than the openers. With the openers there was a chance of some of their overly aggressive shots to go to a fielder. With de Silva it was a lot more hopeless. Yep, he was that good. Great video
I remember reading an article in one of the sports magazines (in my home state Kerala in Malayalam language), comparing him to Tendulkar, like if Aravinda had opened in ODIs he would have scored many centuries like Sachin. This was around circa 97/98.
Wow, this gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes at the same time.
Chills…absolute chills…
❤
If i had to pick my favorite cricketer purely based on vibes and not numbers and stats it would probably be Aravinda De Silva
I can confirm he is the greatest Sri Lankan player. not best, but definitely the greatest.
What a Video Man ❤❤❤
"Mad Max" of the Cricket ground
Can u make a video on how on earth sl whitewashed sa in sa back in 2019??
Presented with all important facts
Appreciate 👍
He was a player for the biggest occasions. Not for him grinding out a long career for a high average. He was a gladiator intent on destroying bowlers. He ranks with Lara and Tendulkar on his astonishing talent. Not for him this training hard and physical fitness. He was Mad Max coming into kill the opposition. Srilanka had one other equally great or even greater batsman from a different era. Sathasivam who was accused of murdering his wife. One of his friends visited him in prison and 'Satha' asked him whether his wife thinks he was guilty. His friend said yes. When the friend was leaving Satha said tell your wife she is the next on the list. My father in law who played with Satha told me he would drink till he passed out at the end of the day and they will carry him home and he will turn up the next morning and score a century. He was hopeless as a fielder because he was drunk. He was a magical batsman possibly the best in the world. He is the only cricketer ever to captain three International sides- Ceylon , Singapore and Malaysia. Both Frank Worrell and Gary Sobers called him the greatest batsman they have seen. Jarrod Kimber should do an article on him.
Feel like a lot of Sanga and Mahelas love for Aravinda comes from his captaincy which is undoubtedly at minimum the 2nd greatest in history and that seeps into their reverence for him as a batsman despite them being much better than him
Sanggakara averaged 67!! when he was playing as a specialist batter
No Doubet about that, Every Sri Lankan agreed that Áravinda de Silva the Sri Lanka's Greatest batter.
It will always remain an absolute disgrace that he didn’t win Player of the Tournament in 1996
Bull fighter. Wielder of the long blade. Crazy genius. Oh, and a Brutalist, eh? Good one, JRod. Salaams to the Lankan great.
Arjuna was total control freak who had streak instructions all his players but When it came to Aravinda He let him do what ever he want and for that Aravinda won Sri-lanka the world cup
Aravinda De Silva is the GOAT of Sri Lankan batting.
What an attitude
He is art.
We see this spark in Pathum Nissanka now.
The greatest of batsmen sri lanka ever produced. Sanga/sanath equal second. But the gulf between first and second is huge.
best video ever about Aravinda!!!❤
He played his best cricket in the 90s when averages were lower than the 2000s.
The greatest player of all time ! I can Imagine if he had played in this era.
Aravinda was the most talented batter sri lanka ever produced. No one even comes close
The GOAT SL batter. Aravinda IS Sri Lanka cricket. He is the blueprint. He basically caried SL from the ICC debut to the very top of world cricket on his back in 1996. There were maby thousands who stopped watching cricket when De Silva retired. There will never be another. Cricket was just a hobby to him as his real job was being a businessman.
He was a great player. Fantastic to watch. Not Sri Lanka's best, but probably their most talented. For me, Sanga would be the best-ever Sri Lankan batter. De Silva is like the Saeed Anwar of Sri Lankan cricket. You know he was great, but you had to see it to believe it...
Absolutely beautiful video.
I don't care if Sangakkara says it himself, I'd take Sanga any day. I think he's just being nice. Don't get me wrong, Aravinda was a class bat, but you can't argue with Sanga's record.
Nah Sanga's record is buffed by playing in subcontinental flatties
Sanga says it because it's true. If I were to name anyone ever in world cricket to bat for my life, I would pick Aravinda, if only to watch one more innings of his.
Almost every past cricketer from Sri Lanka will choose Aravinda .
Sanga and Aravinda both played for the same club, NCC. So Sanga knew a thing or two about him more than others.
On a more serious note, it's very telling that in 1991 both ODI matches the veritable master Dibbly Dobbly bowler Gavin Larsen managed to scalp him in single digits twice. Almost proving Sanga's comment, like he had glazed over because on came the oppositions worst bowler.
Like he said we used to say offer Aravinda a brand new Ferrari or a Merc he will win the match and become POTM
He is the best batsman sri lanka had ever produce...unfortunately srl did not had matches regularly. If yes he would have scored 15000 easily. Best off spinner ever produce is legendary murali... ara...is the 2nd highest off spjnner after murali... he is the only batsman who can change batting stance, any bat, grips even in same innings.... a silent guy hardly speaks, but his knowledge is brilliant. A gentleman, a team man, helped alot for poor and young poor cricketrs as well.. sport car guy
1996 ..Eden gardens was a heart break for me..but the innings was a magic trick...not batting...it cant be...no one couldn't...
Yessssssss 100%
Yes
Plz make a review of sa vs ban series ,
Yes. It's shockingly criminal that sometimes he get's slightly forgotten post-the Sanga/Mahela era
My grand father couldnt pronounce his name so he used to Mr A de silva as " nose guy". He was one of my favorite batsman
your name sounds like you could be from India. so how come your grandfather who I assume was also indian couldn't pronounce "Aravinda"? which literally means "The Lotus" in sanskrit.
Aravinda was the boss
No debate - Aravinda is the GOAT
❤❤❤❤
How did Aravinda do with the ladies in Australia and New Zealand and England and South Africa? IfYouKnowYouKnow
MadMax 💢
Aravinda da Silva........
BOWLING SHANE!!!
OOH AHH Glen McGrath, I said Ooh Ahh Glen McGrath
GOAT
Aravinda to Sri Lanka is Sachin for India or Inzamam for Pak !
Mahela and Sanga combined won't be as good as Aravinda was
100% true
There’s no question mark about it, he played in the wrong era.
Arvinda de Silva's case is similar to Lara... Both on their days are greatest but they can't do it everyday... Moody indeed...
SRI LANKA'S GOAT
In WC Semi Final 2003 Aravinda run out by Sanga 😅
Game may change , who knows
The nickname of mad Max is apt for this belligerent player
not that hard to choose the greatest out of only two :P Sri Lanka have been a pretty mediocre team like New Zealand. Only Sanga and Aravinda were any impressive and the latter averaged in his 30s in Odis lol.
What a fantastic batter!!
Highly overrated cricketer. His peak was very very high which makes cricketers who actually have to work hard for their runs feel like they are looking at something special.