This India team a complete unit due to bowlers, says Aravinda
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s recent struggles against India have been painful for their fans. With series losses of 0-5, 0-5 and 1-2, memories of the 1996 World Cup winning side that beat India on a regular basis are fading away.
Several players had key roles in Sri Lanka’s glory run in that phase. Sanath Jayasuriya’s aggression, Arjuna Ranatunga’s pro-active captaincy, Aravinda de Silva’s brilliance and Muttiah Muralitharan’s spin bowling. De Silva, one of Sri Lanka’s finest batsmen, hurt India on many occasions. His 66 off 47 balls in the 1996 World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens stands out while scores of 52 not out and 104 led to Sri Lanka’s first 3-0 whitewash over India in ODIs.
In a chat, de Silva said the Indian team under Virat Kohli is a complete unit compared to the sides he faced. “The key difference in this side is bowlers. India’s batting was always powerful and high on experience but they have developed bowlers who can take wickets in all conditions. This was one factor lacking in the team of the mid 90s whom I played against.”
Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have formed the bowling core in limited-overs. India are unbeaten in a series since 2016.
De Silva said India are utilising the bowlers well. “When wickets are flatter and slower, they have the two wrist-spinners (Chahal and Kuldeep) at their disposal. They have pacers who can touch 90 mph on a regular basis. This variety makes a big difference.”
Sri Lanka cricket has endured a disastrous two seasons. “This side is still young. We lack consistent selection, when it comes to players or captains. This does not give confidence to the side which is under transition,” de Silva said.
After retirement, he chose the Sri Lanka squad for the 2011 World Cup. He was chairman of the SLC cricket committee for 13 months, stepping down in 2017.