Sri Lanka vs India 2017: Our Players are Capable of Making a Comeback, Says Sri Lanka’s Chief Selector Sanath Jayasuriya

Aug 2, 2017 at 11:13 AM

facebook iconlinkedin iconmail icontwitter iconWhatsApp iconTelegram icon
Sri Lanka vs India 2017: Our Players are Capable of Making a Comeback, Says Sri Lanka’s Chief Selector Sanath Jayasuriya

Sri Lankan team is unlucky if talking of talent as compared to their counterparts India. On one side, where there is a competition for every place in the side in India, the slots are fully open in Sri Lankan team.

Both the Pacers viz Nuwan Pradeep and Lahiru Kumara are not the regular case as fast bowlers. Rangana Herath is already 39 and will retire soon.

(Read Here: Team India’s Home Season Schedule)

Former captain and their mainstay player Angelo Matthews is now a fragile commodity and gets injured on regular basis. Dinesh Chandimal is a serious talent but he has been given the captaincy duties just a few weeks back and the extra burden to perform the role of the skipper might have an impact his batting. It had an impact on him when he was the captain of the side in T20 World Cup 2014, where he himself opted not to play the semifinal and final contest.

Depleted resources and lack of bench strength define Sri Lanka. The home side needed some miracle to beat India in the first Test but this didn’t happen. Virat Kohli led side cruised to a comfortable win, crushing Sri Lanka by a big margin of 304 runs. None of the Sri Lanka batsmen was able to touch the three figure mark, which is enough to tell the weakness in the side. To chase a total like 550, a team needs batsmen to step up but that wasn’t the case with the hosts and they lost the first game.

(Read Here: New Cricket Venue In India Announced)

This team has little chances of upsetting India but Sanath Jayasuriya, the chief selector of Sri Lanka, thinks that the home side has capable players, who can help the team to make a comeback. In an interview with TOI, the former aggressive batsman cited the example of India, who made a comeback in the Test series in 2015 after losing the first game.

In addition to that, Jayasuriya also lamented dropped catches of Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya in India’s first innings, which made the difference. Here are excerpts from the interview –

On Sri Lanka coming back in the series – 

India did come back the last time that they were here, after losing in Galle. This is cricket, and if we apply ourselves and want (to come back), then we can. This is something we proved last year, when we beat Australia, then the world’s No. 1 Test team 3-0 when they were here. It wasn’t a one-off win because you can’t win three Tests in a row without playing well. So, our player are capable. We need to give them a lot of confidence.

On Shikhar Dhawan’s innings of 190 –

He attacked and got some runs. He was a bit lucky that his catch was dropped (by Asela Gunaratne, when Dhawan was on 31). We dropped (Hardik) Pandya’s catch (by Dimuth Karunaratne off Herath when Pandya was on four) too, and he went on to score 50. So, these are little things we need to fine-tune. So, we need time, confidence. 

On Shikhar Dhawan –

I think I’m excited when I see Dhawan attack. It reminds me of the time about 15 years ago, when a lot of attacking batsmen were around. When someone plays like that, it’s nice to see.

On Kohli having the ability to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 centuries –

You never know. Anything’s possible. He’s a hard-working player. He’s working on his game and trying to do really well. He’s a disciplined player, and he wants to prove himself as a captain, and as a batsman. He wants to do well for India. He’s on a roll as a captain and as a player.

(Read Here: Sri Lanka Squad For Second Test)

(Read Here: Venues For Team India’s Long Home Season)

Related Article
Suresh Raina Felicitated With Prestigious ‘Sports Icon’ Award At Maldives Sports Awards
Suresh Raina Felicitated With Prestigious ‘Sports Icon’ Award At Maldives Sports Awards

Mar 20, 2022, 4:30 PM


Quinton de Kock Scores 6th Ton Against India And 17th Of His ODI Career; Breaks Virender Sehwag’s Record And Joins Ab de Villiers In Elite List
Quinton de Kock Scores 6th Ton Against India And 17th Of His ODI Career; Breaks Virender Sehwag’s Record And Joins Ab de Villiers In Elite List

Jan 24, 2022, 2:31 PM


Sachin Tendulkar Won’t Be A Part Of Upcoming Legends League Cricket (LLC) Starting On January 20
Sachin Tendulkar Won’t Be A Part Of Upcoming Legends League Cricket (LLC) Starting On January 20

Jan 9, 2022, 5:02 PM


Muttiah Muralitharan Says Mahela Jayawardene Is One Of The Most Important Players In Sri Lankan Cricket History After His Induction In ICC Hall Of Fame
Muttiah Muralitharan Says Mahela Jayawardene Is One Of The Most Important Players In Sri Lankan Cricket History After His Induction In ICC Hall Of Fame

Nov 14, 2021, 2:20 PM


IPL 2021: Year-wise Players With The Most Sixes In IPL
IPL 2021: Year-wise Players With The Most Sixes In IPL

Sep 17, 2021, 5:33 PM


Top 6 Batsmen With Most International Centuries Against India
Top 6 Batsmen With Most International Centuries Against India

Dec 16, 2020, 10:14 AM


Desktop Banner
Mobile Banner