Dinesh Chandimal’s Captaincy Was Excellent: Kumar Sangakkara
Oct 11, 2017 at 2:15 PM
Terming the series win against Pakistan a ‘well-deserved win’, former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has heaped lavish praise on Dinesh Chandimal.
Sri Lanka entered the series on the back of some dismal results in the longest format of the game, having been whitewashed by South Africa and India in addition to losing a Test against Bangladesh. However, the Islanders left behind all the past results and gave a spirited performance to clean sweep the two-game series against Pakistan.
Dinesh Chandimal & Co.won the first Test by 21 runs while defending a modest 135 before winning the second and final game by 68 runs to win the series and inflict the first series defeat on Pakistan since they shifted their base at the UAE in 2009.
“It was a well deserved win. The team showed focus and put in lot of hard work. Great leadership from Chandimal and others like Rangana and Dilruwan. The way Chandimal absorbed the pressure in the first Test putting his ego aside was great to watch,” Sangakkara told Cricbuzz.
Sangakkara also leapt in Chandimal’s defence who has faced some criticism for being too slow.
“People say that he was too slow, but come on, this is Test cricket. That is how you play Test cricket. He took Sri Lanka into a dominant position and it gave the team time to bowl them out,” he said.
The batting legend further heaped praise on Chandimal’s captaincy. Defending 317 in the second game, Chandimal tightened the noose right from the start as Sri Lanka all but sealed the feat of the game by reducing Pakistan to 52 for 5. However, a 173-run stand between Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed threatened to spoil Sri Lanka’s party before the visitors wrapped up the game by taking the last five wickets for just 23 runs.
“His captaincy was excellent. The way he manoeuvered the field was superb when Pakistan were chasing. The responsibility he took to bat long and deep was great to watch,” Sangakkara added.