Aura-vinda, The Little Giant For Big Occasions
Standing at just 5'3, Aravinda De Silva who turns 60 years today packed a punch with every Pull Shot, and delivered the best all round performance in a World Cup Final
He was certainly not the tallest, but he certainly was a 'big match player' and regarded if not, the greatest batter Sri Lanka has ever produced, though he's one of the most recent inductees in the ICC Hall of Fame as he received the honour in 2023 after Murali, Sanga and Mahela!
Born today in 1965, Pinnaduwage Aravinda De Silva was a boy of small stature who learned his basics at Isipathana College before moving to D. S. Senanayake College and was the talk of the town as the 'next big thing'. Here's one of those stories by Kanchana Pitigala on his first International Tour to England.
The Sidelines
"You're late to my class!"
If you read the story above, this one right here happened before that tour, and something the author's father remembers to the exact detail for it's one of the most embarrassing moments a child could face and question their purpose in life.
"Son, you have no future if you think playing cricket is what you want to do in life, especially when you keep coming late to my class!"
My father recalls these words uttered by a famous maths tuition master back in the day when young Aravinda came late to the class after his cricket practices (it should also be noted that he used to go back home with a few others in Aravinda's Morris Minor, who was very much the same car enthusiast back then).