With the danger of a whitewash looming large over Sri Lanka, batting coach Avishka Gunawardena has admitted that dot balls have become a big issue for the struggling hosts. Down 4-0 in the five-match series, the Islanders have not managed to cross even the 250-run mark in the first four games with their highest score being 236 which came in the second match. Not even a single time, they managed to finish their innings with a run-rate of six and have thus struggled to put up a good challenge against India’s formidable batting lineup.
“Dot balls have become a big issue for us,” he said on the eve of the last ODI on Sunday (September 3).
“Our dot-ball ratio in the last 12 months is something like 145 in a game. That is almost 50 percent.That is one area we have to rectify. We have told the team to improve that area. We are trying to see whether we could make an improvement by 15 percent. Picking up singles and rotating the strike is one option.”
The results have been a testament to Sri Lankan batsmen’s constant struggles. The Islanders were whitewashed in the 5-match series by South Africa, before losing one and winning one at home against Bangladesh. One win in three matches then saw them exiting the Champions Trophy at the group stage before they suffered a shocking 2-3 loss at home to Zimbabwe.
“Another target for us is to get one of the top five batters to bat till the 45th over. Partnerships are something that we have spoken of, where we ask players to give us a 100-plus stand and a 75-plus stand. We achieved those targets in the Zimbabwe series. If we can do that the batsmen are capable of getting a decent score,” he added.
The batting coach further refused to admit that the batsmen have been failing to deliver due to technical issues and said that it is more of a mental aspect. He also said that winning the last game against India is the only way for the team to turn things around.
“The technical side we don’t want to mess around while the series is on. It’s more mental preparations that we need to work on. It’s got to be more tactical than technical. That is what we are lacking. All four ODIs, out of the top six guys, almost everyone has taken a start. However, they couldn’t go on to get a big one,” the batting coach noted.
“It has gone beyond our control now. We have to make sure that we try and win the game tomorrow. That is the only way we can turn things around. The mood is not good at the moment in the camp. To be brutally honest, confidence level is really down, naturally so when you are 4-0 down. But I must say that the guys are trying hard. We have been trying to give them certain targets and hopefully we can achieve those targets,” he added.
Gunawardena also hinted that the hosts might drop Kusal Mendis for the last match. The right-handed batsman has played all the four-games but is yet to make his mark with the bat.
“We had a chat after the last game. Kusal is still 22. We feel that he is mentally drained. Nothing to do with any technical things. Seems like he will be better off with a break ahead of the next tour rather than keep playing him throughout.
“Personally, someone who is young like that should be playing longer version of the game and ODI cricket. I would rather keep him out of T20 cricket. He is still a player who is developing. Obviously we are looking at the next so many years from him. Better keep him in the longer format, it’s my personal opinion,” said Gunawardene.