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For about a week now, Sri Lanka, an island nation known for its cricket, has been engaged in a limited overs match against Team India in their backyard. “I can tell that the players are working really hard. I want the supporters to be here on the ground and cheer the squad on during the ODIs,” he said.
Notably, a number of cricket legends and experts expressed their opinions about the home team’s performance in the series following the Men in Blue’s decisive victory in the Twenty20 International format.
Sanath Jayasuriya, the temporary head coach of Sri Lanka, also expressed disappointment with the team’s performance despite their growing strength. Additionally, he reflected the opinions of Sri Lankan cricket supporters. The former captain and icon stated that supporters were free to express their displeasure with the way the Lankan Lions played in the recently finished Twenty20 International series. He did, however, implore people to support the team since the players have been working very hard.
He thus urges all of the supporters to give the national team their full support throughout the forthcoming ODIs
After Sri Lanka’s middle order collapsed in the last Twenty20 International (T20I) match of the series, when they were leading the chase down with remarkable ease. But late raids by Indian spinners rocked the small nation to its core. In actuality, the Lankan bats failed to get going and allowed Team India to reach a three-run goal even though they were able to force the game into a Super Over. Jayasuriya believes that playing the Super Over in the third Twenty20 International should never have happened. Notably, Sri Lanka required merely 30 runs from the same number of balls after the fifteenth over.
“There was no reason for the third game to end in a Super Over. As coaches, you can tell things, but those in the midst are the ones who should handle pressure. We know that those vital wickets were taken by part-time bowlers Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh. It’s disheartening,” Jayasuriya went on.
Kusal Perera, who is seated in the middle, signalled for a right-hander to enter. It’s accurate that he intended to inform us that a right-hander was required. We knew what to expect from the standard batting lineup. However, you must pay attention to the message that the set batter sends. “I would have been more satisfied if Kusal Perera had completed it,” he continued.
Despite hitting for more than 700 balls, Kusal Perera didn’t seem to be too committed: Sanat Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya added that the youthful Sri Lankan team have a wealth of potential and talents in addition to dedication. Therefore, based on the current situation, it is not the case that the national team cannot engage in severe international competition. According to what he saw, in the just finished T20I series, the players made several poor shot choices and did not know how to handle pressure.
Notably, he used Kusal Perera, a talented hitter in the top order, as an example. During the net sessions, Perera batted for a considerable amount of time, as the former renowned opener for Sri Lanka pointed out. As a result, they have been practicing according to a rigid schedule. Therefore, the issue of lack of commitment was resolved.
“During training, we have devised a method that allows top order batters to bat for two or three hours. During our session, Kamindu Mendis batted for almost 600 balls. Over 700 balls was batted for by Kusal Perera, which is a significant amount of overs. Though I don’t perceive any lack of dedication, they need to handle pressure more skilfully. The former legend said, “They also need to improve their awareness of cricket.”
In addition, Sanath Jayasuriya expressed his extreme unhappiness before leaving and said that the team as a whole, the coaching staff, and himself were all to blame for the most recent loss. But he also made sure to emphasise how important it is to give young players ample confidence, just as he was given early support in his cricket career.
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As a coach, it’s disappointing, but we also need to accept the criticism as a team, as a support system, and as a coach. You cannot avoid the fact that we are taking on the burden. Every cricket player has to go through this, so long as they acknowledge that and ensure that, we’ll need to continue providing them with the assurance and encouragement I needed to go through this (period) in my career. You have to accept criticism when it’s given,” Jayasuriya said in closing.
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