Lanka bowling coach stresses on execution

Kolkata, Nov. 12: Sri Lanka bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake on Sunday revealed that his team have prepared elaborate strategies for the upcoming three-Test series against India but said it would be all about executing those plans on the field.

“We have done all that we could have to counter attack. Whatever we would expect in the Test series. I hope our strategies will work,” Ratnayake said.

“We can only plan but it’s about executing them on the field. It’s a huge challenge. It’s not only skipper Virat Kohli but we have come with specific plans for each Indian player. We always go with plans but can we execute the plans, at what stage and at what point. Hopefully that works to our benefit,” he added.

Sri Lanka suffered a 0-9 humiliation at home across the three formats earlier this year.

The islanders will play their first Test in India since 2009-10 when they take the field on November 16 at the Eden Gardens here. They have a lopsided record in the country as they are yet to win from 16 appearances, having lost 10 and drawn six in their head-to-head record spanning from 1982 to 2017.

“Even though the immediate past has not been good we are looking for a new leaf to start with,” Ratnayake said. Terming it a “friendly rivalry” with India, the former pacer said: “It’s unfortunate we have not won a Test here. It’s still a healthy rivalry. We have gained a lot from India, we are thankful for that. It would be interesting to win a Test here. We are taking it as a challenge.”

The 53-year-old said rainy condition in Sri Lanka had hampered their preparation.

“We are very privilege to have a match like this. We have new players but they have been in the circuit for a while,” Ratnayake added.