Hope Angelo Mathews can do something special for us: Thisara Perera

Veteran Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews will be one of the key players for the visitors, as they take on India in the 3-match ODI series, starting in Dharamshala tomorrow (10th December). Skipper Thisara Perera will have a vital option in his kitty as he will look to marshal his troops against a strong Indian batting lineup, even though the hosts will be without the service of regular skipper Virat Kohli.

Kohli has been rested for the limited overs series against the Lankans, so that he recharge his batteries and get ready for the important series against South Africa, early next year. Perera feels that Mathews’ ‘all-round’ game makes the team more balanced.

“He is bowling in this series. He didn’t bowl in the Tests. He is prepared for ODIs and T20s. That gives us an option to balance the side. Hopefully, he can do something special for us,” said Perera.

“India don’t have Virat Kohli. He is their best batsman. But we actually don’t think on those lines. We have to do our best. We will assess the wicket and if we play our best cricket, we can beat them,” he said.

On preparations

On the preparations for the challenging series, Perera said: “We have prepared well. We had two good sessions over the last two days. We have a nice balance in the side. Hopefully, we can do something special. Mentally and fitness wise we have done well.”

On players making a comeback

When asked about the cricketers who are making a comeback from injuries, Perera said: “We have a couple of players who have come from injury. It is a balanced side at the moment. We can assess what we want to do. I think (Asele) Gunaratne is back after injury and he is definitely playing. Hopefully, we can do something special.”

Dhananjaya de Silva, who played a match-saving knock in Delhi, will not feature in the 1st ODI. “He (Dhananjaya) has been ruled out. He is pretty close, but didn’t want to take the risk,” Sri Lankan team manager Gurusinha said.