'This is the new, svelte, post-bariatric surgery @ArjunaRanatunga.'
Key Points
- Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning captain, underwent bariatric surgery in 2024, resulting in dramatic weight loss.
- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed his surprise at Ranatunga's 'new, svelte' appearance during a meeting in Colombo.
- Ranatunga shared that his improved fitness allows him to bat for three hours in charity matches, a significant improvement from his pre-surgery stamina.
Congress MP and passionate cricket aficionado Shashi Tharoor was left stunned when he met legendary cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga in Colombo on Sunday.
Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup winning captain -- famously podgy during his playing days -- sports a lean look following bariatric surgery.
Tharoor is currently in Sri Lanka for the inaugural Colombo Literary Festival.
'Cricket fans might have some difficulty in recognizing this former Sri Lankan cricket captain who called on me in Colombo. Yes, this is the new, svelte, post-bariatric surgery @ArjunaRanatunga,' posted Tharoor on X.
'Asked how it felt after years of being famously roly-poly even at his cricketing peak, he told me he now plays charity matches and cheerfully bats for three hours, whereas pre-surgery he could barely get through three overs!'
