I am more excited about how we fought and came out of it, says Sri Lankan coach Nic Pothas

Sri Lankan coach, Nic Pothas, oozed positivity in the post match press conference after the conclusion of the Kolkata Test against India. The match ended in a draw but the hosts had given the visitors a major score by taking their 7 wickets on the final day in under 27 overs of play. Had the match been extended for another half an hour, the scoreline could have well been in the favor of the Indian team.

India opener KL Rahul spoke exactly about this recently. Meanwhile, Nic Pothas looked happy for the fact that Sri Lanka looked competitive in the match. He reflected back at the home series against the same Indian team where they were whitewashed recently. He noted that the success that the team has got in Test cricket after that speaks volumes about the character of the team.

“We did not compete at all in the series in Sri Lanka. We have been very competitive here in the first Test that’s a huge positive, credit to everyone in the team and the support staff. We got tougher, we got success in UAE and played well here,” quoted Nic Pothas.

“Process began in Sri Lanka absolutely. Things like that do not happen overnight. We are certainly not going to be counting our chickens… We played a couple of good Tests against Pakistan, were competitive here but we have a long way to go. This side is going to be a very good side looking into the future there’s no doubt,” he added.

Major scare in the game

Commenting on the final day’s play, Nic Pothas admitted that the team had a major scare. He rightly noted that losing 7 wickets is never a good sight for any team. But, he feels that playing against a top team like India in two successive series is only going to benefit the Sri Lankan team in the longer run.

“It’s always a concern when you lose seven wickets. But the more often you play, I think these two series back to back against India will help in making of the Sri Lankan team of the future. You become better when you play against a quality team under pressure. It’s a concern but I’m more excited about how we fought and came out of it, looking back at all four days,” said the Sri Lankan coach.

He further added that such high pressure games are the precious elements of the Test cricket. He stressed on the fact that the Sri Lankan team did manage to put India under pressure in some stages in the match. He commended the way Virat Kohli played in the second innings to make a match out of the equations.

“It’s fantastic, isn’t it? It’s Test match cricket. It’s a tough environment, it’s a cauldron and that’s how players earn respect from each other. I thought it was played fantastically well. Very tough, high pressured game. We bowled very well, we fielded very well and the intensity was good. We did have India under pressure. Virat played a fantastic innings to set up a very good game of Test match cricket. I don’t think anything went wrong. It was a very good cricket from both sides,” he conceded.