Chandimal blames huge loss on first innings effort
colombo — An upsEt SrI LAnkA CAptAIn DInEsH CHAnDImAl on SunDAy ADmIttED tHAt HIs sIDE wAs ComplEtEly outplAyED By InDIA In tHE sEConD TEst, prImArIly DuE to tHEIr “DIsAppoIntInG” BAttInG EFFort In tHE first InnInGs.
InDIA on SunDAy sECurED An unAssAIlABlE 2-0 lEAD In tHE tHrEEmAtCH sErIEs AFtEr HAvInG tHrAsHED SrI LAnkA By An InnInGs AnD 53 runs In tHE sEConD TEst.
SrI LAnkA wErE suB-stAnDArD wItH tHE BAt In tHE first InnInGs As tHEy wErE BowlED out For A pAltry 183 In rEply to InDIA’s mAmmotH 622 For nInE DEClArED.
“WE wErE ComplEtEly outplAyED. THE first InnInGs Effort wAs DIsAppoIntInG AnD It Cost us HEAvIly. THEy (InDIAns) BAttED wEll too. SCorInG 622 Is HuGE. THAt put us unDEr lot oF prEssurE,” CHAnDImAl sAID AFtEr wrAppED up tHE sEConD DAy InsIDE Four DAys.
“THEy Got 600, But wE DIDn’t tHInk wE woulD GEt out so CHEAply. WE wErE surprIsED As wEll BECAusE tHE pItCH stArtED turnInG morE tHAn wE tHouGHt — morE tHAn It wAs In tHE first onE AnD A HAlF DAys. THE rEAson wE lost tHE GAmE Is BECAusE wE Got out For 183 In tHE first InnInGs,” HE ADDED.
SrI LAnkA rECovErED In tHE sEConD InnInGs tHAnks to A 191-run stAnD BEtwEEn DImutH KArunArAtnE (141) AnD KusAl MEnDIs (110), wHo BotH sCorED CEnturIEs.
“WE FouGHt HArD In tHE sEConD InnInGs. It wAs A finE Effort By BotH KusAl MEnDIs AnD DImutH KArunArAtnE. AFtEr yEstErDAy wE HAD somE DIsCussIon AnD wE plAnnED How to Go ABout tHInGs on SunDAy. I stIll FEEl tHAt EvEryonE FouGHt vEry HArD But wE kEpt losInG wICkEts,” sAID tHE skIppEr.
“It wAs A spECIAl InnInGs tHAt DImutH plAyED. As An opEnEr wE ExpECt tHAt kInD oF InnInGs From HIm, so wE’rE vEry HAppy HE plAyED tHAt InnInGs on A vEry touGH DECk lIkE tHIs onE.
“OF tHE InnInGs tHAt I’vE sEEn ovEr tHE lAst tHrEE or Four yEArs, tHIs InnInGs wAs onE oF tHE BEst, BotH From our tEAm AnD opposItIons. It wAs An ExCEllEnt InnInGs. HE AlwAys GoEs to tHE CrEAsE lookInG to sCorE runs. I tHInk tHAt must HAvE HElpED HIm GEt tHEsE 140 runs,” HE ADDED. — PTI