Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka expressed his admiration for interim head coach Sanath Jayasuriya after beating India 2-0 in the three-match ODI series. This is the first time that the island nation has defeated the Men in Blue in a bilateral ODI series since 1997.
The position was vacant following the resignation of Chris Silverwood after the T20 World Cup 2024. The selectors have appointed him temporarily to fill the role and in a remarkable turnaround, Jayasuriya has achieved that.
Asalanka also spoke highly about Jayasuriya’s leadership skills saying it created an environment where players wanted to be part of it. After finishing their last match during this tour, Charith Asalanka told journalists (Cricbuzz):
“They are in a good mood right now and our coach (Sanath Jayasuriya) is very active. The boys really enjoyed the team environment.”
Sanath Jayasuriya will also lead the team for the away Test series against England, beginning on August 21 at Old Trafford in Manchester.
“Spin was our strong suit, and we supported it”- Charith Asalanka
Every one of the three ODIs followed a consistent pattern in terms of the script – Sri Lanka would come in first to bat while subjecting the Indian batters to quality spin bowlers. Against slow bowlers, India’s Men in Blue batters found it extremely difficult to score runs since 27 out of 30 wickets taken during three ODIs were taken by Lankans spinners.
His words carry great weight when he says that it is important for them to be based on their own strength even if they realize that Indian players are very much proficient in playing spin and this has been proven right way round.
“I am a happy captain right now. The team did all things right throughout the series. We all knew they are a strong batting line up and we wanted to back our strength, spin was our strength and we backed it,” he said in the post-match presentation.
For the Lankans, overcoming Rohit Sharma’s side will be a shot in the arm for their preparations leading to the 2025 Champions Trophy.
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