Nagpur, December 18: It has been close to a year since Mahela Jayawardene gave up the Sri Lankan captaincy, but he is still very much an integral part of the team’s think tank.
While displaying the poise and confidence that formed the cornerstone during his time at the helm, the veteran middle-order batsman provided a glimpse into the mindset of the visitors going into the crucial second ODI on Friday.
Despite coming close to becoming only the second team to chase down a 400+ score in history, Jayawardene insisted that Sri Lanka had regrouped well. “We have won matches in the last over and have lost some too. It is a bitter pill to swallow but we have talked about it in the meeting and that’s done for now,” said the 33-year-old Jayawardene.
He added that the Rajkot ODI was proof enough that bowlers had to be given more leeway in limited-overs cricket. “You can’t bowl anything down the leg-side, you stray slightly away from the off stump its called a wide and only one bouncer is allowed per over. And when you bowl in this strike zone you are going to take a beating,” said Jayawardene, who was run-out for three during the Lankan chase.
——Agencies