How ICC helped Chandimal to return in 2nd Test
KL (Rahul) has been our established opener. I feel one of the openers has to make way. It’s a wicket you will get a result for sure. It’s something that we look forward to as a team I am much better. Thanks to the ICC, they gave me the permission to use the inhaler and that will help me breathe properly. Rangana is also fit to play
The home team is expected to gamble with spin, captain Dinesh Chandimal hinting at handing a debut to left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara to support Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera. It remains to be seen if India will counter the move by adding chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav or rely on R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Toss will be crucial, as seen in Galle where India batted first to bury the opposition under runs. If the SSC plays to its nature, it can be hard work for the bowlers. It is a surface where batsmen love to bat --- Mahela Jayawardene has 11 Test hundreds on his home ground and Sachin Tendulkar averaged 99.71 with four hundreds in five Tests.
While the might of this India batting line-up is a challenge for any attack, the Sri Lanka think-tank will spend considerable energy planning for Cheteshwar Pujara. Kohli will always be the wicket every team wants desperately early on. But since the last four Tests, Pujara has put a price on his wicket. The numbers tell the tale, a match-winning 92 at Bangalore, double century at Ranchi and 153 at Galle now. He will have added inspiration here as it is his 50th Test.
:Had it not been for the permission from the International Cricket Council (ICC) on use of an inhaler, Sri Lanka would have been without the services of skipper Dinesh Chandimal in the second Test as well.
Down with pneumonia, Chandimal missed the series opener, leaving his team’s batting severely depleted at Galle.
“I am much better. Thanks to the ICC, they gave me the permission to use the inhaler and that will help me breathe properly. Rangana (Herath) is also fit to play,” said Chandimal, giving an update on Herath and his fitness.
According to anti-doping rules, a player needs permission from the authorities before taking a medicine with a banned substance. It falls under Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE), where if the medication happens to fall under the prohibited list, TUE may give the athlete the authorisation to take it.
Faced with the challenge of lifting his side after the heavy defeat in Galle, Chandimal has his work cut out in the second Test.
The main test of his leadership will be to motivate his men.
“We want to forget the mistakes we did in the first game. We want to take the positives out of it and go forward. That’s what I’m always talking to the boys. They are looking forwarding to this game,” said the Lanka captain.
With the pitch expected to take
turn as the game progresses, Sri Lanka are going with an attacking mindset. They are bracing for the spin challenge by training on turning tracks.
“We’ve been doing the tough work; preparing for turning pitches, and playing reverse sweeps and sweeps. We always do the tough things in practice. When we go to the middle it might be helpful as a batsman,” said Chandimal.
Against a strong opposition, it is about taking risks, said Chandimal. Seeking inspiration from his match-winning hundred against India at Galle in 2015, the Lanka captain said: “When you are playing a really good team like India, you have to take risks when you are batting or bowling. If you can do that, you can perform. That’s what I did in Galle two years ago. I’m looking forward to doing well in this series.”