Kumar Sangakkara a great human being: Virat Kohli

Led by skipper Virat Kohli and team director Ravi Shastri, the Indian team paid tributes to Sri Lankan batting legend Kumar Sangakkara, who will be playing his 134th and last Test here at the P Sara Oval against India, starting on Thursday .

"He broke into being one of the top players and he never got out of that. There are very few players who fall in that list. You can bring Tendulkar in that league as the kind of player that once broke into the top two or three and never moved out of there. He has got runs world over and scored double hundreds like it is a pass time. He is equal with Sir Donald Bradman," Shastri told bcci.tv.

Kohli termed Sangakkara as a 'lovely human being'. "A lot of lefthanders really look up to him. His technique and the way he has scored runs all over the world, his numbers speak for themselves. He is a wonderful human being," Kohli said.

The India Test skipper said he was glad that the Lankan great was playing his last international series against India. "I have had quite a few chats with him on the field and away from the field as well. I am actually glad that he is going to be playing his last few games against us because it is a special occasion for us to be a part of. Such a legend of the game retiring, as a young side it will be an honour for us to give him that respect in his last few Tests," he added."Hopefully, he doesn't score too many runs against us but I really wish him all the luck with his life after cricket. It has been wonderful to know such a great player and a great man," Kohli concluded.

Shastri elaborated on what made Sangakkara special. "His ability to adapt and bat for long periods of time. He had a wide range of shots, understood his game well and obviously worked as hard as any you would get." Shastri felt that both Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene - two stalwarts of Sri Lanka cricket -didn't get due credit despite their fabulous record.