Sri Lanka Vs India, 2017: Dinesh Chandimal Hints To Win Second Test
Aug 2, 2017 at 5:31 PM
Sri Lanka’s newly-appointed skipper Dinesh Chandimal, who replaced Angelo Mathews, is confident that his team will give a fight to an upbeat India-led by Virat Kohli and eventually try to win the Test match.
“I go into every match hoping to win,” Chandimal was quoted as saying by Associated Press.
The 27-year-old Balapitiya-born Chandimal said they are raring to go and has further revealed that the players have had worked hard in the nets after receiving a drubbing of 304 runs, in the first Test of three-match Test series in Lanka’s backyard.
“We trained for three days all the players are in a good state of mind,” Chandimal said.
The right-handed batsman Chandimal has been a regular feature of Lion’s international set-up, before missing out the first Test in Galle while suffering from pneumonia.
Chandimal vowed to give his best while adding the hosts have a good bunch of players to take on ranked No. 1 side after learning a lesson from the first Test.
“I have that determination and I have good players as well,” Chandimal remarked.
Interestingly, under the leadership of Chandimal, Sri Lanka chased down the record-breaking total of 388 against Zimbabwe in the One-off Test in July at home.
(Read Also: Our Players are Capable of Making a Comeback, Says Sanath Jayasuriya)
In Galle Test, the side was led by a wily customer and quality left-arm orthodox spinner Rangana Herath, who has further injured his finger during the first Test and is being under observation.
Chandimal was named skipper by Sri Lanka cricket after Mathews tendered his registration after receiving the humiliating One-day International series loss 3-2 against Zimbabwe last month.
The injury-hit Sri Lanka is scheduled to play the second Test at Sinhalese Cricket Club in Colombo on Thursday (August 3), as the hosts are highly like going to makes a couple of chances to field the Playing XI.
However, the huge cause of concern will be the injuries for the skipper as batting all-rounder Asela Gunaratne has already picked a hand injury during the first Test when he tried to complete the catch of Shikhar Dhawan in the slip cordon.
The reports suggest left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara is expected to make his International debut, as batting all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva will replace injured Gunaratne in the Colombo Test.
The wicket-keeper batsman has played 37 Tests as he scored 2,610 runs in 67 innings at an average of 42.09. He has also registered eight hundreds and 12 fifties in the longer format.