{
  "id": 3180653,
  "title": "Ranatunga Bowls, Chandana Flies As Sri Lanka Legends Deliver Viral Throwback As Test Team Struggles At Home Vs India | VIDEO",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/ranatunga-bowls-chandana-flies-as-sri-lanka-legends-deliver-viral",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-25T03:03:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/ranatunga-bowls-chandana-flies-as-sri-lanka-legends-deliver-viral-throwback-as-test-team-struggles-at-home-vs-india-video"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sri Lanka's Test cricket team faces challenges against India, yet two cricket legends, Upul Chandana and Arjuna Ranatunga, have brought a wave of nostalgia to fans. A video of 55-year-old Chandana leaping to catch a ball off Ranatunga during a charity match has gone viral on social media. Fans are particularly impressed with Chandana's athleticism and Ranatunga's dramatic physical transformation. Chandana, who still possesses the same physique and fielding skills that made him a standout player during Sri Lanka's golden era, leapt into a full-length dive to secure the catch, reminiscent of his fielding prowess in the 1990s. Ranatunga, on the other hand, has dramatically slimmed down after undergoing bariatric surgery, losing 52kg, and now appearing unrecognizable to those who remember him from his captaincy days in the 1990s. The charity match took place as part of Northampton Saints' preseason tour of Sri Lanka, with rugby players from the English club joining forces with a team of Sri Lankan cricketing legends at Thurstan College Grounds in Colombo. The match aimed to raise funds for the Lanka Alzheimer's Foundation, providing a unique opportunity for rugby players to meet and interact with some of Sri Lanka's most celebrated cricketers.",
  "summary": "As Sri Lanka struggle to keep pace with India in the ongoing Test in Colombo, two of the country's cricketing icons have offered fans a nostalgic reminder of a very different era. A video of 55-year-old Upul Chandana taking a stunning diving catch off Arjuna Ranatunga's bowling during a charity match has gone viral on social media. The moment has attracted particular attention for Chandana's…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}