'There was not a lot you could throw at him'

Watching on TV you might feel that it was difficult to have a quiet game with Kumar Sangakkara, but having a quiet dinner with him was more difficult. If he was a great competitor on the field, he was immensely popular off it. I remember going out for a dinner with him in Melbourne in 2005 when we were on the same Asia XI side to take on the ICC World XI. I enjoyed the conversation, but I also remember the large number of friends and fans who kept coming up to him to say hello.

Sangakkara, along with Mahela Jayawardene and Muttiah Muralitharan, had earned the popularity. They were leaders of the side in the true sense, taking ownership of the team after Arjuna Ranatunga, and all the responsibilities that come with it. Sri Lanka cricket could rely on them. Those who heard Sangakkara speak at the MCC Spirit of Cricket lecture know how deeply he felt for Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan cricket.

In our interactions, I always found him articulate and clear about his thoughts and ideas. He was extremely proud and understanding of Sri Lankan cricket, very clear about the legacy he wanted to leave. Sri Lankan cricket was lucky to have him.

I also got a sense it was not easy for them. Sangakkara and Jayawardene had the added responsibility of dealing with their cricket administration - which left a lot to be desired - and dealing with them sternly when required. Many a cricketer has turned inwards and looked just after himself, but not Sangakkara and Jayawardene. And they did all that without letting it hamper their game - which would have developed more had they got more and longer series to play in Australia, England, and to an extent, South Africa. That things changed a little on that front towards the end of their careers is down in no small measure to their efforts.

To replace Sangakkara the man will be a bigger challenge than to replace Sangakkara the cricketer. Not that it is going to be easy replacing Sangakkara the cricketer.

What a cricketer he was. Even before I first played him, in an ODI in Sharjah in 2000 and then a full Test series in Sri Lanka the next year, I had heard of this dashing young wicketkeeper-batsman who was going to take over from Romesh Kaluwitharana. When we played him in a Test for the first time, I knew this guy was going to be around for a while. He was not your run-of-the-mill wicketkeeper-batsman. He was a proper batsman who could keep wicket really well. In that first Test he scored an excellent hundred (the first of his Test career) against us - and he hasn't stopped since.

I went on to become captain and had the unenviable task of planning how to get Sangakkara out. When we sit in our team meetings, we look for weaknesses in batsmen, and make plans to prey on them. The best of them had weaknesses. With Sangakkara, though, we would spend hours wracking our brains. There wasn't a lot you could throw at him. There was no apparent weakness in his game. Maybe you could tire him out with the big gloves, and then get him in early, but he still averaged 41 when keeping wicket, and when he gave up the gloves he averaged close to 70, next only to Don Bradman.

To do so for 86 Tests you need a solid game. Sangakkara just had that game. He had a really good, watertight technique, and positive strokeplay. His was an all-format, all-conditions game.

He didn't let himself get complacent. From whatever I heard of him from those who have played with him, he is a thorough professional. He worked really hard on his game. He was a perfectionist.

Once I crossed the age of about 34, I realised I had to work much harder on my body to meet the challenges of international cricket, which is getting physically more demanding by the day. From personal experience I know it would have taken a lot of dedication, hunger and desire, in addition to his ability, for him to have scored 17 centuries and averaged 63 over the last five years of his career. What a big inspiration he must have been for the youngsters towards the end - just for them to be able to watch him go about his fitness routines, his preparations.

Another thing the youngsters could learn from Sangakkara is his toughness. Although we never faced that side of him - at least, I don't remember doing so - he could be cheeky with his gamesmanship and his sledging. He was a tough competitor. He was never shy of a word. He liked to fight back. He was not scared of competing and he didn't make an apology of it. He was a tough competitor on the field, which is how it should be. India and Sri Lanka, though, have not played their cricket in the manner where competitiveness comes down to sledging. A lot of the credit there should go to some of the senior players on both sides, Sangakkara included.

Back to how to get him out. Now that he is retiring, I can give out the secret: there isn't one! The only weakness we could work out was, he tended to play across the line early in his innings. We tried to get him out that way by bowling full and straight, trying to bring the ball back in, but that's clutching at straws really. It shows in his record against us, and against others. You had to get him out early. Otherwise you had to be really patient, try to frustrate him by bowling dry. Attacks have tried all these tricks, but such amazing consistency over a 15-year-long career shows that nothing has worked against him for long.