After Kusal Mendis was overlooked by the Sri Lanka Cricket selection committee for the tour to India, the chief of the Lankan selection panel Graeme Labrooy came out in self-defence on Monday saying the right-handed batsman has been asked to work on his game in domestic cricket.
“Instead, what we tried to do was to let him play some domestic cricket, work on his game and regain his confidence,” Labrooy was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Following the axing of Moratuwa-born Mendis in the 15-member Lions Test squad, the selectors felt the 22-year-old should further work hard on his batting when the Board announced the eagerly-awaited team for the three-match Test series which will be beginning from November 16 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
“He is a confidence player. For him confidence is everything. He has got everything in his armoury,” Labrooy added.
Labrooy revealed out his plans by saying they’re looking forward to seeing his age has favored Mendis representing Sri Lanka for over a decade while adding the latter
“He has got age on his side and we want him to go onto become one of the greatest of the game. We want him to play for another ten years,” Labrooy further added.
On the other side, Mendis has struggled against Pakistan as he scored 58 in four Test innings in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Earlier, the wicket-keeper batsman was touted as the big thing in Sri Lankan fold owing to his technique and determination to score runs at his will.
“We don’t want a situation where he plays two more innings, gets two low scores and then drop him and destroy his confidence further,” Labrooy asserted.
It’s pertinent to mention to note that, Mendis was neglected for the all-important Test series against ranked number one India in the ICC Test rankings due to his loss of form of late.
“We didn’t want to throw him to the deep end or to take him to India and leave him on the bench,” Labrooy said.
However, the former Lankan chief coach Graham Ford had backed Mendis for having the potential to deliver big for the Islanders.
In another surprising omission, the 31-year-old Colombo-based opener Kaushal Silva failed to impress the newly set-up selection committee after post his highest score of 27 against Pakistan in the recently concluded two-match Test series.
“Character, attitude, team spirit all these things are there but we expect more from him with the bat,” Labrooy stated.
The right-handed batsman Silva scored 67 in four innings, before returning home from the UAE, as Lions whitewashed Pakistan 2-0.
So much so, the interim coach Nic Pothas was excited to see Silva playing at the top, in order to instill confidence among his teammates.
“We share the same sentiments with Nic. But, at the end of the day, you need to put runs on the board,” Labrooy remarked.
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