Arjuna Ranatunga Height, Weight, Age, Wife, Children

Arjuna Ranatunga is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and politician who captained the 1996 Cricket World Cup-winning Sri Lankan cricket team as well as scored the winning boundary in the final.

Born Name

Arjuna Ranatunga

Nick Name

Captain Cool

Sun Sign

Sagittarius

Born Place

Gampaha, Ceylon (later: Sri Lanka)

Residence

Sri Lanka

Nationality

Education

Arjuna Ranatunga attended Ananda College, a prominent Buddhist school located in Maradana, Colombo. The college has produced many noted figures such as cricketers Marvan Atapattu, Sidath Wettimuny, Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, and Thilina Kandamby.

Occupation

Former Cricketer, Politician

Family

• Father – Reggie Padmasena Ranatunga (April 22, 1937 – May 31, 2008) (Politician belonging to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Served as the third Governor of Sabaragamuwa between June 2005 and February 2008)
• Mother – Nandani Ranatunga (Retired Teacher)
• Siblings – Sanjeeva Ranatunga (Younger Brother) (Former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 9 Test matches and 13 One Day Internationals from 1994 to 1997), Dammika Ranatunga (Older Brother) (Former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in two Test matches and four One Day Internationals in 1989), Nishantha Ranatunga (Younger Brother) (Former Sri Lankan cricketer who played two One Day Internationals in 1993), Prasanna Ranatunga (Younger Brother) (Politician, Member of Parliament, Served as the Minister of Urban Development and Housing, Served as the Chief Government Whip as well as the 7th Chief Minister of Western Province, Sri Lanka), Ruwan Ranatunga (Younger Brother) (Politician, Member of the Parliament)
• Others – Maureen (Sister-In-Law, Prasanna’s Wife)

Batting

Left-handed

Bowling

Right-arm medium

Role

Batsman

Build

Average

Height

5 ft 8 in or 173 cm

Weight

76 kg or 167.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Note – Arjuna Ranatunga has 2 children, including a son named Dhyan Ranatunga who is also a cricketer and has lived in the United States.

Race / Ethnicity

Asian

He has Sri Lankan ancestry.

Hair Color

Salt and Pepper

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

Deep-set eyes

Arjuna Ranatunga Facts

1. He played for Sri Lanka under-20 against India under-20 in the year 1980 and went on to score 128 not out in his very first game. The Indian side included the likes of Ravi Shastri, Lalchand Rajput, Sadanand Vishwanath, Chandrakant Pandit, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, and Bharat Arun.
2. In 1980 and 1982, Ranatunga won the Observer Sri Lankan Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award and became the first person to receive the award twice.
3. On February 17, 1982, he made his test debut against England at the age of 18 in Sri Lanka’s first-ever test match at the P. Sara Oval. He scored 50 runs in his test debut as well as became the first Sri Lankan to score a half-century in test cricket. In addition to that, he also shared a 99-run partnership with Ranjan Madugalle for the fourth wicket in the match.
4. During the initial part of his international career, he also worked as an insurance broker.
5. During the 1983 Cricket World Cup, Arjuna Ranatunga made his debut World Cup appearance for his country.
6. In 1984, he was featured in Sri Lanka’s historical test match against England at Lord’s in London, England. The game also marked Sri Lanka’s first-ever test match at Lord’s.
7. He played in Sri Lanka’s 100th Test match in June 2000 and became the only player to represent his country in their first and hundredth Test.
8. In 2001, he retired from cricket and joined the International Cricket Council’s cricket committee in 2005.
9. He joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party led by Chandrika Kumaratunga and went on to contest the 2001 parliamentary elections with PA from Colombo District.
10. He was appointed Deputy Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Promotion following the 2004 win of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
11. Arjuna Ranatunga left the UPFA in 2010 and subsequently joined the Democratic Party of the DNA. He was appointed as the deputy leader of the Democratic Party.
12. He was accused by an Indian flight attendant of harassing her at a hotel in Mumbai in 2018.

Featured Image by Arjuna Ranatunga / Instagram