Kumari Sangakkara, the mother of Sri Lanka's 33-year-old cricket captain Kumar never forgets to thank Leonard De Alwis, the former principal of Trinity School and College in Kandy whenever her son scores a century.

Kumar Sangakkara

It was De Alwis who advised her to encourage Kumar to pursue cricket. "The boy was talented in both cricket and tennis at the school level and his mother was confused. But I advised her to encourage him to pursue cricket," said De Alwis, now principal of the adjoining Green Hill School in Kandy.

"I saw his cricketing talent during under-13 and u-15 tournaments and was highly impressed. He was bubbling with talent. He has climbed up the ladder from the scratch.

"Sangakkara now lives in Colombo, but his parents, Kumari and Chokshanada still live in Kandy and meet us often. They always express their gratitude," said De Alwis, who follows his cricketing progress closely.

Sangakkara scored his seventh double ton on Day Two of the Colombo Test against India yesterday.

Sangakkara did not forget to mention the contribution of De Alwis at a felicitation function held last year.

This writer is a freelancer