We Are Not Going To Take Sri Lanka Lightly: Ravi Shastri
Jul 21, 2017 at 1:11 PM
India will enter the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka as firm favourites. The world number one Test side is yet to lose a Test series under captain Virat Kohli and the way the team has the team has performed in the last one year or so, they can expect an easy ride against a Sri Lankan side which is enduring a very difficult time at the moment.
While India has defeated England and West Indies in limited-overs series and Bangladesh and Australia in Tests in addition to making it to the final of the Champions Trophy in 2017, Sri Lanka has had a hard time so far. They were whitewashed by South Africa in Tests and ODIs, failed to win the home series against Bangladesh, exited the Champions Trophy at the group stage and their miseries were compounded by the ODI series loss against Zimbabwe earlier this month. So there is absolutely no denying that with a new captain at the helm, Sri Lanka will have their task cut out against the formidable Indian team.
And while the odds are firmly stacked against Sri Lanka, India’s newly-appointed head coach Ravi Shastri has said the team would not Sri Lanka lightly in their own backyard.
“You got to respect the (Sri Lankan) team,” Shastri told journalists on Thursday (July 19). “If you look at their track record at home, it is as good as any side in world cricket, if not right up with the best. As an Indian team, we are not going to take them lightly, we are not going to take things for granted.
(Image Via: Twitter)
“We’d like to [be] consistent so that we can keep that No. 1 position in place, and above all, we will look to improve. Because if you don’t look to improve, there is no point playing. You have got to try and raise the bar in every series you play, that must be the endeavour,” he added.
The Test series will start on July 26 at Galle before the teams move to Colombo (August 3) and Pallekele (August 12) for the second and third Tests respectively.