Chandimal: India tour a big challenge for us
Skipper confident of a good show after success against Pakistan
Acknowledging that the India tour was a big challenge for his new-look side, Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal yesterday said the boys were confident after the good show against Pakistan and hope to execute their plans to put it across to their strong opponents.
India had whitewashed Sri Lanka 3-0 in Tests, followed by a clean sweep in One-Day Internationals (ODI) and the lone Twenty20 (T20) in Sri Lanka earlier this year, but Chandimal said his team was not looking at the coming engagements as a revenge clash.
“It’s not a revenge. It’s rather a big challenge for us. India is now the No. 1 team in the world. But we come to India after our successes against Pakistan. We are confident,” Chandimal said at the Sri Lankans’ arrival media conference, a day after stepping on to Indian soil.
The islanders had put up a much improved showing against Pakistan, winning the Test series 2-0 in the UAE.
“We are looking forward to the India challenge. We have our plans, and we hope to execute them to beat India,” the 27-year-old said.
The Sri Lanka captain is on his first Test tour to India. The neighbours are slated to play three Tests, three ODIs and the same number of T20Is over the next one and a half months.
Sri Lanka will begin the tour with a three-day practice game against Board President’s XI at the JU 2nd campus ground here tomorrow ahead of the first Test at the Eden Gardens from November 16. Incidentally, this will be Sri Lanka’s first ever Test match at the hallowed venue. The head coach of Bangladesh’s national cricket team has resigned, the sport’s board said yesterday, amid reports of his taking charge of the Sri Lankan team.
Chandika Hathurusingha, who is Sri Lankan, tendered his resignation in a letter during Bangladesh’s disastrous tour of South Africa last month, Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hasan told reporters.
“As far as I remember, he submitted a letter to me in early October. He didn’t give any specific reasons. He only said he wasn’t interested anymore,” Hasan told reporters in Dhaka. “He is a professional coach. We will deal it professionally. We won’t force him but will ask him about the reason.” Sri Lankan newspaper
reported yesterday that Hathurusingha was on the verge of signing up with the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as the national team’s head coach.
Quoting sources, the newspaper said the SLC had reached an agreement with Hathurusingha regarding his remuneration package.