India and Sri Lanka are set to square off against each other for series across all formats. On the eve of the first Test at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal addressed the media and talked about the tactics for the upcoming series.
He stressed the importance of Angelo Mathews in the side who brings his experience in the middle-order. Even though Mathews doesn’t bowl any more in the longest format of the game yet he is a vital cog batting at No.4.
“He gives us confidence as a batting unit. He will bat at number four. He has all the experience and at the top of the order and we will get maximum out of it,” Chandimal said
“We are looking forward to his experience. He was unbelievable in 2013-14. Hope he will put his hands up and do best. We will miss Mathews as a bowler as he gives us more confidence and can balance the side really well. Unfortunately, with his injury, he can’t bowl in Tests,” he added.
The last time these 2 teams met, India demolished Sri Lanka and won every single game of the tour in all 3 formats. Dinesh Chandimal hailed India’s consistency and said that the Virat Kohli-led side looks really balanced.
“It was a tough series in Sri Lanka and as a team we have learnt a lot from that time. They have been outstanding. They have done a lot of hardwork, on and off the field. They are really good as a team in every format. They look really balanced. We all know India are the number one side at the moment in Tests. They have played some really good cricket last two years,” Chandimal said.
Pakistan series gives confidence
Sri Lanka have arrived in India on the back of a 2-0 series win in the UAE in the Test series against Pakistan. The victory gave the side some confidence and they’ll look to repeat a similar performance in India to win their first Test in the country.
“We just need to get positives of the last series. We are more confident after winning against Pakistan. We just tried to play five bowlers, as a good team you need 20 wickets to win a match. Then fielding is one area we are looking at and keep our energies up for five days. The weather was really hot in UAE, we used five bowlers. Here we saw the pitch yesterday, it looked green and hard. Maybe, the seamers will come into play in this game,” Chandimal concluded.
