Record-breaking ex-batter scores 5 ducks in first 6 innings but smashes over 14000 runs; joins elite club with Lara, Bradman, and Hammond in 200s.

Sri Lankan cricket has been blessed with a number of cricketing legends over the years, including the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Arjuna Ranatunga. While these players have achieved great success on the international stage, there are also unsung heroes who have made significant contributions to the team. One such player is Marvan Atapattu, a former captain who played a crucial role in leading the Sri Lankan team to victory in the Asia Cup in 2004. Though he may not have the same level of recognition as some of his more famous teammates, Atapattu's skill and leadership qualities were instrumental in the team's success.

However, he had a terrible start to his international career—five ducks in his first six Test innings. This sort of start could have ended many cricketers' careers, but he kept fighting hard during the rough patches of his career and finished it with six Test double centuries—the third most by a Sri Lanka batter.

In his debut Test, he joined an unwanted list of players to score a pair of ducks and had to wait for a couple of years to get another chance, but things didn't change much for him as this time he got a duck and 1 to open his account. He was once again dropped from the side for a couple of years and played his third Test in 1994, about four years after his debut. unfortunately, he bagged another pair of ducks and waited for another three years to play another Test.

After a shaky start to his career, he scored his first Test century in his 18th innings against India in Mohali, scoring 108 runs.

In his 17-year international career, Atapattu scored 5502 runs in 90 Tests, including 6 double centuries and 16 centuries. At the time of his retirement, only Don Bradman, Brian Lara and Wally Hammond had more Test double centuries than him.

He also displayed good consistency with the bat in the 50-over format and amassed 8529 runs at an average of 37.57. The 52-year-old had to wait for 7 years after making his ODI debut to score his first century in the 50-over format.

He formed a solid pair with Sanath Jayasuriya, who was known for his swashbuckling shots at the top of the order. The right-left combination worked well for Sri Lanka, and the calmness of Atappatu brought the much-needed balance to their partnership. The elegant batter was known for his solid technique, and cover drive was one of the most pivotal shots in his batting arsenal.

‘Greediness a reason behind 6 double centuries’

Atappatu called himself a greedy batter years after retirement from international cricket while talking about his double centuries.

"When I look back at how I made those double-hundreds, it was because of a few reasons. One is enjoying batting - how much time you want to spend in the middle. And the other thing is greediness. In my case, for all the zeroes that I made at the start of my career, I thought if I get a start, I have to make the most of it," Atappatu told The Cricket Monthly.

He also had his fair share of controversies within Sri Lankan cricket, as he fought various battles with selectors during his career. During the fag end of his career, he even called the selectors "a set of muppets headed by a joker" during Sri Lanka's 2007-08 tour of Australia. He announced his retirement from international cricket on the last day of the Hobart Test on that tour.

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