India are really good as a team in every format: Dinesh Chandimal

With the India v Sri Lanka series all set to commence at the Eden Gardens tomorrow, visiting skipper Dinesh Chandimal wants his team to replicate the performances they put up against Pakistan in the country where they’ve not won a single Test. The Lankans were whitewashed 3-nil in their own backyard by India just a few months ago.

On eve of the first Test, Chandimal spoke to the media. In the pre-match conference, he openly talked about the team’s game plan for the Eden Gardens contest, return of Angelo Mathews, their recent success against Pakistan and specific strategies for this series.

Angelo Mathews will bat at number four

Chandimal remarked that senior player Angelo Mathews is slated to bat at number four in the first Test. He expected the rest of the batting lineup to revolve around Mathews’ given his rich experience.

“He gives us confidence as a batting unit. He will bat at number four. He has all the experience and at the top of the order and we will get maximum out of it,” Chandimal said.

The all-rounder who missed the series against Pakistan due to a calf injury will be unable to bowl in the current series. Thus, he’ll be playing as a pure batsman. The underlying concern around it is Mathews’ recent batting form. He last scored a hundred two years ago.

However, Chandimal counted upon his experience to deliver. He further admitted that the team will miss Mathews’ the bowler.

“We are looking forward to his experience. He was unbelievable in 2013-14. Hope he will put his hands up and do best. We will miss Mathews as a bowler as he gives us more confidence and can balance the side really well. Unfortunately with his injury he can’t bowl in Tests,” he added.

India look really good as a team in every format

Months ago, the Sri Lankans faced a triple whitewash. They were defeated in every single game in each format in their own backyard. While Chandimal agreed it was a tough phase, he also stated that the team had learnt enough and look forward to rectifying their mistakes.

“It was a tough series in Sri Lanka and as a team we have learnt a lot from that time.” He further praised India’s recent performances and lauded their dominance in all the three formats. “They have been outstanding. They have done a lot of hardwork, on and off the field. They are really good as a team in every format. They look really balanced. We all know India are the number one side at the moment in Tests. They have played some really good cricket last two years,” the Lankan captain said.

More confident after winning against Pakistan

He vowed to count upon their recent success against Pakistan in the UAE and mentioned, “We just need to get positives of the last series. We are more confident after winning against Pakistan.”

Speaking about the strategies imposed in UAE, Chandimal remarked, “We just tried to play five bowlers, as a good team you need 20 wickets to win a match. Then fielding is one area we are looking at and keep our energies up for five days. The weather was really hot in UAE, we used five bowlers. Here we saw the pitch yesterday, it looked green and hard. Maybe, the seamers will come into play in this game.”