'That's a sign of us maturing' - Charith Asalanka reflects on learnings from India ODIs
Sri Lanka emerged victorious with a commanding 2-0 triumph over India in a historic ODI series, and their skipper had much praise to bestow upon the team's performance.
Following Sri Lanka's triumph in the second ODI, optimism was high, yet the final outcome hinged on the third game to ascertain whether they would maintain their lead. Ultimately, the island nation achieved a historic series victory, triumphing by a commanding 110-run margin in the third ODI. This remarkable achievement secured a 2-0 series win, making it their first bilateral series victory over India since 1997.
Winning skipper, Charith Asalanka, was elated by the triumph and expressed even greater satisfaction while reflecting on the positives observed throughout the 50-over series. He pondered the initial highlight - Sri Lanka's triumph in securing their first bilateral series in 27 years.
Additionally, he acknowledged the exceptional performances of his primary spinners, Jeffrey Vandersay and Dunith Wellalage, who bagged eight and seven wickets across two and three matches, respectively.
"The biggest positive was winning a series against India after 27 years. The other big positive were the spinners. We had relied on Wanindu Hasaranga, but we've had Vandersay and Dunith playing well here too," stated Asalanka at the post-match press conference.
He also commended a significant transformation observed in the ODI squad over the past two to three years - the top-order's ability to establish a solid cornerstone for the subsequent batters. Asalanka expressed considerable satisfaction with this development, characterising it as a clear indication of the team’s evolution.
"The top-order gave great starts and that's the biggest change I see in this team. If you look at our one-day cricket two or three years ago, we weren't getting good starts. As the No. 5 batter, I was coming in at the 10-over mark quite frequently. Now, there's a foundation. That's a sign of us maturing," mentioned Asalanka.
We tried to give a lot of freedom to our players for them to show their talent: Asalanka
Asalanka also elaborated on the team ethos he endeavored to cultivate alongside interim head coach, Sanath Jayasuriya. He highlighted the liberating environment which they fostered to enable the players to perform at their best.
"As a team, we tried to create a good environment, after talking to the coach. We tried to give a lot of freedom to our players for them to show their talent. We don't put much pressure on them. We identify what the positives and negatives are and we back their strengths. If they fail, it's not a problem. If you have that backing, you can play against a good team like this. In the T20s which we lost, there were positives in our top-order. I knew as a captain that when we play to our potential, we can compete against the best," added Asalanka.
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It will be intriguing to observe the trajectory of the Lankans' development in the white-ball format moving forward, with anticipations of a progressive ascent in their performance.
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