A different ton awaits Jayasuriya

Updated on: 17 December,2009 07:04 AM IST |
Debasish Datta |

Sri Lankan batting giant Sanath Jayasuriya's record in one-day international cricket will have a more glowing effect when he becomes the first player to play at a hundred venues in Jamtha tomorrow.

Sri Lankan batting giant Sanath Jayasuriya's record in one-day international cricket will have a more glowing effect when he becomes the first player to play at a hundred venues in Jamtha tomorrow.

Jayasuriya is likely to take the field in the second one-day international against India at the venue which is near Nagpur.

Jayasuriya, who completed 40 in June, belongs to a select band of players to play international cricket even after turning 40. Like Sachin Tendulkar, he first played one-day cricket in 1989. Incidentally, Jayasuriya and the Indian master play for the same Indian Premier League teamu00a0-- Mumbai Indians.

Like Tendulkar, he has had to deal with huge expectations and challenges. The latest one being the Lankan think-tank's decision to play him in the middle order despite his reputation of being a highly successful opening batsman. "I look upon this as another challenge. I will bat wherever the team wants me to," he stressed. "This move takes me back to my early days in international cricket," said Jayasuriya, who has scored 12,738 of his 13, 382 ODI runs as opener.

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