Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya recently revealed the reasons behind his side’s thumping loss in the home T20I series against India.
The visitors whitewashed Sri Lanka in Jayasuriya’s first series as head coach, having assumed the role last month after former England pacer Chris Silverwood stepped role from the position.
The former captain shared that the players gave their best in training sessions but their inability to handle pressure in difficult situations and bad shot selection led to the disappointing result.
For the unversed, in the last match, Sri Lanka were required to score 28 runs in 29 balls with nine wickets in hand, however, they went on to lose the match in Super Over.
“The third game should never have gone to a Super Over,” said Jayasuriya. “We have created a system where top-order batters could bat for two or three hours during training.”
“I don’t see a lack of commitment, but they have got to tackle pressure better. Their cricket awareness also needs sharpening.”
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He pointed out that the batting of Sri Lanka’s top three was one of the few positives from the T20I series.
“If you see, in the last three games, we started well. That’s what you’re looking for – for the top three-four to bat well, which we did. That is a positive sign,” he added.
“Apart from the first game, we fielded really well, we fielded well… But still, there is no excuse for us to say anything, and for us to win is the ultimate thing.”
Jayasuriya also expressed his disappointment and accepted responsibility for the series loss.
“It’s disappointing as a coach, but we have to take the criticism as well, as a coach, as a support staff, as a team. We are taking responsibility, you can’t go away from that,” he stated.
Following the T20I series, the three-match ODI series between India and Sri Lanka has kicked off today at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
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