19-year-old Sri Lankan Sharujan Shanmuganathan hit his fourth century in 15 first-class matches to rescue domestic side from 32-4.
Sharujan Shanmuganathan: Sri Lankan teenager hits fourth hundred in 15th first-class game
Playing for Colombo in their second National Super League four-day game of the season, against Kandy, Shanmuganathan hit a career-best 145. He was also part of two crucial 100+ partnerships, which took the team from a precarious 32-4 to 434-9 declared.
Colombo elected to bat first in Dambulla, but were made to rue the decision when young right-arm pacer Dinura Kalupahana took three quick wickets to reduce them to 19-3 in the eighth over. They were soon down to 32-4 when captain Janith Liyanage and Shanmuganathan joined hands in the middle.
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The duo resurrected the Colombo innings and ensured they went into stumps on day one unbeaten. They added 218 runs to take the side to 250-4. Liyanage was batting on 130*, having completed his tenth first-class hundred, while the teenager was on 82*. Though the skipper fell early on the second day, Shanmuganathan went about his business and soon completed his fourth ton in the format.
Match 3, Colombo vs Kandy
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After a 232-run stand with Liyanage, the southpaw added another 131 runs with debutant all-rounder Kavija Gamage, who scored 80 in his maiden first-class appearance. Shanmuganathan was the seventh Colombo wicket to fall, with the team at 416, getting run out just five runs short of what would have been his first-ever 150 in the format.
This was the youngster’s fourth first-class ton in a young career of 15 matches. Ahead of the ongoing game, he had scored 714 runs at 47.60 in 14 matches, with three tons and as many half-centuries.
Why Sri Lankan teenager Sharujan Shanmuganathan is called the ‘Little Sanga’
The highly rated batter’s first shot to fame came all the way back in 2011, when, as a five-year-old, he was caught on camera playing a cover drive like Kumar Sangakkara in the stands of the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, while the Sri Lanka legend did the same on the ground in a Test against Australia.
He was dubbed as the “little Kumar Sangakkara” by the late Tony Greig, who was covering the match on commentary, a label that has stuck with him over the years, with the southpaw referred to by many as “little Sanga” during his earlier playing days. Shanmuganathan represented Sri Lanka at the 2024 U19 World Cup, scoring 118 runs in five matches.
