Entertainer. Master. Revolutionary. 54 years ago today, the world was gifted a cricketer - Sanath Teran Jayasuriya - someone who rewrote the way limited-overs cricket would be played in the modern era, with both bat and ball.

Whichever cricket stadium he set foot in, the Matara Mauler ensured he would leave a mark in the record books, and that is what he did in his 20-year-long career.

Jayasuriya, in name and person, brought about many firsts in MI’s storied history in the first edition of Indian Premier League. Our first international signing, our costliest buy at the Auction (975,000 USD), our first IPL centurion, and the chief architect around our fastest run chase in the IPL (5.3 overs vs KKR, 2008) - which is a league record till date.

Let’s talk about the hundred, and let’s roll the clock back to 2008, shall we? The Chennai Super Kings are in town. The seeds of the El Clasico are waiting to be sowed. A sweaty Wankhede. The tournament’s business end. Everything’s perfect for the storm.

MI opt to bowl

The first half of the game saw Dhawal Kulkarni (3/33) and Dwayne Bravo (2/37) try and put the brakes on CSK’s batting prowess. Yea, you read it right. Bravo was in the Blue. But S Badrinath (53) and MS Dhoni (43*) got them out of troubled waters as they bounced back from 46/4 to 156/6.

Stunningly rampant Sanath

Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar, the two revolutionaries of batting in cricket history, opened the batting. Tendulkar, unfortunately, saw his time cut short by Joginder Sharma in the eighth over. It didn’t seem to matter to Sanath one bit, for from start to end, it was just him just smashing everything thrown at him all around. His famous cut was fiercer than usual, if that’s possible. His also-famous pull was right up there as well!

He took 25 balls to reach his 50, which was already fifth-gear batting. But on the night, he upped it further.

He entered the 14th over batting on 88, facing fellow Sri Lankan Chamara Kapugedera.

13.1 - SIX! Over deep square leg. 94

13.2 - SIX! Further over deep square leg. 100 – The only MI ton for over four years

13.3 - SIX! Deeper into cow corner. 106

13.4 - FOUR! Towards long-off. S Vidyut drops the catch, and the ball goes to the boundary. 110 now

13.5 - FOUR! Absolutely belts it into long-off, screeching along the turf .. 114

Total chased. Match won. That was it. The only way this carnage could have ended. In this mood, nothing, NOTHING, would have been impossible. Nobody would’ve said the warhorse was 47 days short of 39.

The Lankan legend’s contribution to Mumbai Indians’ legacy is immeasurable, laying the foundation stone and the template for crazily aggressive batting, something that’s gone on for 16 years non-stop at MI, and by no means is going to slow down. And thus, as he turns 54, here we are wishing the Matara-turned-Mumbai mauler, a very, very Happy Birthday!