Rangana Herath wants to win a Test in India; a dream Sri Lanka yet to fulfill

Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath said that it would be a great moment for him and his team if they manage to beat the hosts India in this upcoming Test series. Herath is one of the best spinners operating around the world right now. Recently he led the Sri Lankan spin bowling department and helped the team to a 2-0 victory over Pakistan in the UAE.

The old warhorse picked up 16 wickets in the away series against the Pakistani team that is considered to be good players of spin. With the series against India fast approaching, the left-arm spinner has a wish to win a Test in the country, something that Sri Lanka never tested.

Sri Lanka never won a Test match in India

“It’s one of my dreams. How wonderful it would be to win a Test match in India as we have never won there before,” Herath told Cricbuzz. “The series win in Pakistan has given us lot of confidence. That winning mentality is important. If we show the same fighting spirit that we showed against Pakistan, we can win in India,” he added.

His wish will face a tough challenge as key players like Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin are set to feature in the Test series, as a result, it is going to be a tough test for the Lankans. The hosts also have an all-win record in India. Herath also felt that India is bettered prepared for international cricket because of an excellent domestic structure.

“They have [a] lot of experience. They have an excellent first-class structure in India. If you take the Ranji Trophy, it prepares their players to play those big innings. It teaches their bowlers to think of different options when bowling on flat wickets. Whereas we don’t have those challenges. Only at ‘A’ team cricket, our players are prepared for those challenges,” Herath observed.

During Sri Lank’s last tour of India Herath failed to make a mark as he only managed to take five wickets from the two Tests he played.

“The India series at home, I wasn’t able to take wickets. All of us struggled. We were not able to break the partnerships and they went onto post 600-plus runs and from there on it was difficult for us. We missed a few chances as well. We need to plan as to what we have to do to get those 20 wickets,” concluded Herath.