IND vs SL 2017: I have A Feeling That We Can Change Things, Bounce Back And Move Forward: Dinesh Chandimal
Dec 1, 2017 at 7:01 PM
Admitting that the heavy defeat in the second Test in Nagpur was a disappointing and a painful one, Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal, on Friday (December 1), backed his side to ‘bounce back and move forward’.
After showing a lot of promise in the first Test at the Eden Gardens, the Islanders failed to build upon it and suffered a heavy defeat by an innings and 239 runs. Not only the batsmen but also the bowlers failed to do well in the game as India took an unassailable lead in the series. Batting first, the visitors could manage only 205 runs, and in reply, India posted a mammoth 610 for six declared with as many as four batsmen crossing the three-digit mark. In response, Dinesh Chandimal & Co. failed with the bat again and were all out for just 166.
The huge defeat would have surely dented Sri Lanka’s morale, but their skipper is confident of a good show in the third Test, starting Saturday in Delhi.
“The Nagpur game was really disappointing. It was a painful defeat. In life too you have ups and downs. The important thing when you lose and down is to come out of it and compete. When I was captain in 2014 also I learned a lot. It’s no doubt a tough few days for the team, but I have a feeling that we can change things, bounce back and move forward,” Chandimal told journalists ahead of the last game.
Sri Lanka’s hopes of bouncing back in the series and winning their first-ever Test has been dealt a major blow as their spin spearhead Rangana Herath has been ruled out of a contest with an injury. Speaking about the loss, the skipper said:
“Rangana is a big loss for us. He is always an asset but unfortunately, he is not available to play this game. We have Lakshan Sandakan and Jeffrey Vandersay in the squad and we will make a call soon. We will do a few changes.”
The right-handed batsman further admitted that batting had been a problem for the team. He rued that the players are not able to execute the plans on the field and also admitted that the team does not play as per conditions and situations.
“Batting has been the big problem for us. We talk a lot about it at meetings, but the problem is that we are not executing them well. We don’t play to the situations and assess the conditions well,” Chandimal explained.
“That’s a problem that we have been having over the last 18 months. The top five batsmen have to play big innings. I hope the guys will have different plans for tomorrow’s game and they will do their best,” he added.
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