Led Sri Lanka like a school principal during 1996 World Cup: Arjuna Ranatunga

Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga said he led the team like a school principal during the country's successful campaign at the 1996 Cricket World Cup held in the Indian sub-continent

The heavily-built former left-handed batsman, Ranatunga, led underdogs Sri Lanka to their greatest cricketing triumph at the 1996 World Cup final in Lahore where they defeated overwhelming favourites Australia.

"I led the team like a school principal. I would order my players to get back to their rooms at 10pm, even if they couldn't get sleep early. We were stationed in Colombo, and I got these people from different backgrounds to eat, drink and sleep the World Cup," Ranatunga wrote in a column for News18.com.

Ranatunga, who played 93 Tests and 269 ODIs for Sri Lanka in an illustrious career spanning 18 years, was a dominant and hugely respected figure in the dressing-room.

"I still remember every ball we bowled and every run we scored in the final match against Australia in Lahore. We entered the World Cup with abundant energy and hope. We were very confident. We were not afraid of anyone or any team in the world. Be it Australia or West Indies. I told my teammates that we will win if we have confidence in ourselves. I asked the team to focus on just playing and leave everything else to me," he said.

Reflecting on Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup victory, Ranatunga said the triumph put the Island nation on the world cricket map. Ranatunga said he derived inspiration from two other cricketing legends of the sub-continent - Kapil Dev and Imran Khan. While Kapil led India to World Cup glory in 1983, Imran led from the front as Pakistan lifted the World Cup nine years later in Australia.

Ranatunga said the victory in 1996 changed the course of the game in Sri Lanka forever. "That victory firmly put us on the world map of cricket as a formidable team. After that, in the last 20 years, Sri Lankan team has had several big successes to its credit," he said.

Ranatunga said that the World Cup triumph was no fluke and insisted that the Cup came home after intense planning and superb execution.

The former captain, who also served as president of Sri Lanka Cricket, revealed he did not pick the best side and only chose players who were committed and would give their lives for the country.

"It was the most cohesive team in the history of Sri Lankan cricket. I always wanted to pick 14 good cricketers who would give their lives to the country. Other than Aravinda de Silva we didn't have any stars. The World Cup win didn't happen overnight. We planned to get into the semi-finals, and that began a year and a half earlier. I asked my players if they wanted to win. Two players laughed. I only picked committed players. I probably didn't pick the best players. We didn't care about the money. We gathered around de Silva. I always looked to keep him happy. He's tough to keep happy," he said.