To leave the top post and then be around with the same set of people with full commitment, under one of his juniors is not easy. Especially for some one from the South Asian region, that is not the trend but it can be seen only in cricket.

Sri Lankan cricketer Mahela Jayawardene (L) congratulates Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar-AFP

Whatever the reason, that kind of a stance needs a very big heart and former Sri Lanka captain, Mahela Jayawardane, has one. The elegant right hander is considered to be one of the most underrated players of modern day cricket. That could be due to the fact that Sri Lanka has played fewer Test matches.
Even before he was named the captain of Sri Lanka team, a Sunday newspaper carried an interview with Mahela Jayawardane and Kumara Sangakkara, posing the same questions. They gave contrasting answers though, the mixture of those answers were however the best one could expect.

Those who read that interview knew that Mahela and Kumar Sangakkara are going to be the best captain and vice captain combination that Sri Lanka can ever think of. The decisive factor is nothing but the mental toughness and his hunger for runs is something great.

Out of the 10 world record partnerships for each wicket, Sri Lanka owns four and Mahela features in three. It's really is hard to tell what is more significant but that 624 runs ally, with Kumar Sangakkara, against South Africa, at the SSC Grounds in Colombo, still stands out. Here in Ahmedabad, Mahela found another Jayawardane (Prasanna) to eclipse a 72 year old world record by amassing 351 runs for the sixth wicket. The previous record was credited to none other than Sir Donald Bradman and Jack Fingleton who scored 346 for the 6th wicket, against England in 1937, at Melbourne.

Having lost the toss and conceded 426 runs to India in the first innings, in Ahmedabad, Mahela took the challenge of taking his team past the Indian total. He did it with great authority and dominated the bowlers. India's number one spinner; Harbajan Singh recorded his worst test figures in 77 matches.
"Mahela just showed that what a quality player he is at test match level," said Gary Kirsten, the Indian coach.

During the course of the innings, the 32 year old went past 9000 test runs and now he is at the 9th place among leading test run getters. He has already overtaken the game's all time legends like Sir Vivian Richards, Javed Miandad and Geoff Boycott. He is now on par with two of his team mates - Marvan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara, and Javed Miandad - with six double centuries in tests.

His array of elegant strokes, all around the wicket, is unmatchable. If there is one stroke that only one player is able to play, that's his trade mark 'late cut'. His masterful 275 at Ahmedabad turned the game on its head but the end result couldn't justify his dedication and commitment to the team.