It took Sri Lanka 27 years to beat India in an ODI series, but now that they have done it the entire island nation is in joy. Sri Lanka defeated the mighty Indian side by a huge 110-run margin to win the 3rd ODI and seal the series with 2 games to nil. It was a complete dominance by the hosts, as they rattled the Indian batting lineup for the third time in a row.
Sanath Jayasuriya, the interim head coach, was ecstatic with the victory and could not contain his smiles when speaking with the official broadcaster after the game. Sri Lanka entered the series as underdogs after their loss in the T20I series 3-0 in Kandy, several injury issues with their pace attack, and their matchup against the No.1 ODI side of the World. Jayasuriya was pleased with his young team’s resilience in Colombo, despite several obstacles facing them before the series.
“It was a very long wait because that series I played in 1997 and got a lot of runs in that series. That was the last series we won against India. After 27 years, I am part of the team and I am very happy to be part of these boys. They are a very nice bunch of players and are talented and the whole country would have seen what we can do.
“The boys went through a very, very hard time. Even during the T20 series, we played well but the result was not what was expected. The players realised what went wrong when we came back to Colombo and they started to play well.”, he continued.
Following their frequent middle-order surrenders in the T20I series loss, Sri Lanka exhibited much more steel with the bat in this series. Dunith Wellalage, who amassed 108 runs and claimed seven wickets, was crucial to the series victory. While the top order of Sri Lanka made sure they always started well with the bat, Jayasuriya shared his thoughts on how he and his team worked with the players, giving them the go-ahead.
“We have been working with players like Wellalage, Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Asalanka, all are very young players. Hasaranga got injured and Vandersay has been there for a long time but never got the opportunity and when we gave the opportunity, he grabbed it with both hands,” he said.
After the tour of England, Jayasuriya is anticipated to resume his normal duties as a high-performance manager, despite Sri Lanka’s record performance. Since Chris Silverwood left as head coach in June following the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka has been searching for a long-term replacement.
“Sri Lanka cricket is looking for a coach at the moment. I stepped in for two series: the India series and the England series. They will look for a coach, I’m there an in-charge for high performance but I will support Sri Lanka cricket. I must thank SLC, they have given everything possible for the players and our support staff. Also, I hope they will find a good coach to bring these youngsters to a higher level and continue the winning streak.”
