All-time combined India-Sri Lanka ODI XI

#5 Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara was Sri Lanka's 'Mr. Dependable' till he called it a day

Both as a gloveman and as a batsman, Kumar Sangakkara was worth his weight in gold. His far superior batting prowess ended the career of Romesh Kaluwitharana, who was one of the heroes of Sri Lanka's historic 1996 World Cup triumph and their no.1 wicket-keeper in the late 1990s. Such was the impact of Sangakkara that the Sri Lankan think-tank never had to look for another wicket-keeper.

Sangakkara is a highly elegant left-hander with an insatiable hunger for runs. Along with Mahela Jayawardene, Sanga formed the backbone of the Sri Lankan batting line-up for more than a decade. With more than 14,000 ODI runs and more than 12,000 runs in Tests, he leads the list of the highest run-getters for Sri Lanka.

While he is brilliant with the gloves too, Sanga will be spared the burden of keeping wickets for our team and will play only as a batsman.