Is Sangakkara the best batsman at the moment?

10 years ago in the 2004 issue of Wisden Asia , Sangakarra was conferred with the title of an “Individualist”. Right from his debut he has played the beautiful game with his own game plan. An All rounder in the fullest sense, the stylish No. 3 for Srilanka and an increasingly slick wicketkeeper, he is also a key strategist and sometimes a clever sledger. With over 10,000 runs in both tests and ODIs he is one of the stalwarts of Srilankan cricket. But probably the biggest highlight of his career was when he won the last T20 world cup for his country. The Srilankan team’s morale was down because of some internal issues with the board and that victory was probably what the doctor had ordered for them.
One of the key things which sets Sangakkara apart from a lot of other players is his consistency and ability to come back. Nobody has seen him going out of form for a long time. He has changed his game over time. He has adapted himself to the way cricket has changed but has never compromised on his basic technical skills. A delight for any hardcore cricket lover. The left-handers that had preceded him, like Arjuna Ranatunga and Asanka Gurusinha, had been pugnacious battlers but Sangakkara was the perfect cut diamond, easing into strokes with the elegance often associated with those that play with the ‘other’ hand.
Today when the entire batting space has been taken up by young players ; Sangakkara holds the fort for the veterans. With a towering top rank in Tests and 5th in ODI , he is still a formidable player for any bowler to bowl at. The best part about his batting is the way he paces his innings. We have seen him winning matches with pinch hits and also seen him winning matches with just rotating the strikes. He is probably the 3rd best wicketkeeper batsman in the history of the game after Gilchrist and Mark Boucher. He believes it is important for batsmen to "project an image of dynamism, confidence and, sometimes, arrogance and to focus all their attention inward on what one should be doing.
He took up the mantle of captaincy when Mahela Jayawardene decided to step down. He took his team right till the finals of the 2009 ICC T20 in England when they finally lost to Pakistan after remaining undefeated throughout the series.  He achieved a similar feat 2 years later but this time it was much bigger .He captained his side to the2011 ICC World cup finals in the subcontinent. Soon after that, when he realise that the captaincy was getting on his game, he decided to step down. He is somebody who will not cry for the crown, but will accept it graciously when the world gives it to him and give it up easily when the world thinks he should.
His calm 192 Vs Australia at Hobart or his scintillating 52 in the T20 final of 2014, he is a man of many hues. We, at Sportalink , wish him the best and hope he continues playing for a few more years.