The last of the Gunasekaras
Conroy Ievers Gunasekera, the former Sri Lankan first-class cricketer and All Ceylon Captain, famously known as 'CI', died in Colombo on Thursday, July 29 at the age of 90
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Conroy Ievers Gunasekera, the former Sri Lankan first-class cricketer and All Ceylon Captain, famously known as 'CI', died in Colombo on Thursday, July 29 at the age of 90. Venkat Ananth recounts meeting Gunasekara in 2007, and says though Gunasekara died a lonely man, he will always be remembered as one of the most celebrated sportsmen in Sri Lankan history.
I quizzed him further about his batting style, and he said, “I used to play tennis regularly, and that’s where I learnt shot-making from. My strength in tennis was hitting the ball as hard as I can, because I was gifted with powerful forearms.” That’s where when one of the most ferocious strokeplayers of Ceylon cricket, learnt his trade, unusual yet amazing.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo