On way to stopping India from leading this three-Test series, the Sri Lankan cricket team did most of what skipper Dinesh Chandimal said he had wanted to before the match began at Eden. (IND v SL 1st Test report)
Chandimal spoken of the need to improve fielding and Sri Lanka showed that through the first Test with Dilruwan Perera’s catch to dismiss Cheteshwar Pujara on Monday being the highlight. (IND v SL 1st Test Day 5 highlights) (Full scorecard)
He had sought improvement in bowling and batting performances and barring their second innings, Sri Lanka ticked those boxes as well.
So it fit that amid talk of overkill, Sri Lanka coach Nic Pothas would say that the two series against the Indian cricket team have helped them get better.
“I think playing India twice is going to be the making of this Sri Lanka team. You become better when you play under pressure against a quality team.
“We did not compete at all in Sri Lanka, we were very competitive here and that’s a huge positive. We got tougher, we got success in the UAE (against Pakistan) and played well here but we have a long way to go,” said Pothas.
{{/usCountry}}“We did not compete at all in Sri Lanka, we were very competitive here and that’s a huge positive. We got tougher, we got success in the UAE (against Pakistan) and played well here but we have a long way to go,” said Pothas.
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For a team seeking to rebuild, the second innings implosion was a cause for concern but Pothas said: “Looking back at all four days, I am more excited about how we fought and came out of it in a tough environment.
Virat Kohli played a fantastic innings to set up a very good game and overall there was good cricket from both sides,” concluded Pothas.