Sri Lankan nationals will not forget March 3, 2009 the day their cricket team survived a terror attack. Thilan Samaraweera, a middle order batsman, was affected the most as a bullet had to be removed from his left thigh.

As he was flown back home on a stretcher, even Samaraweera didn't think he would ever be able to get back on a cricket field. But since his comeback to international cricket in July, Samaraweera has surpassed everyone's expectations.

The secret of his success could well lie in his changed perspective towards life after the Lahore attack. "I have got another life. It's in the past and you have to look ahead to the future," Samaraweera told MiD DAY ahead of their series against India. The 33-year-old insisted his personality as well as attitude hasn't changed much towards the game. "I love this game. I was out for three-four months. Despite the hiccups, I have recovered well," Samaraweera said.

Have a look at his statistics and you'll realise he has indeed recovered well. In the five Tests that he has played since his return, he has scored two big hundreds and followed that with his maiden ODI ton in the Compaq Cup, all against New Zealand.

More than his Test performance, Samaraweera is extremely pleased with his good run in the shorter form of the game. "I was tagged as a Test specialist. Till recently, I didn't get a decent run in the ODIs. I could only show my mettle when I was consistently picked. The more you play, the more you can learn. In the recent opportunities that I have got, I have proved that I can come good in one-day cricket also," he said.