One win can turn things for us says skipper Thisara | Page 3 | Daily News
Lanka ODI squad arrives in Delhi early to avoid Colombo weather

One win can turn things for us says skipper Thisara

Thisara  Perera
Thisara Perera

Thursday– Sri Lanka’s new one-day international captain all-rounder Thisara Perera is confident that his team needs only one win in the upcoming three-match ODI series against India to come out of their losing streak in this format.

Sri Lanka has not won an ODI since beating Zimbabwe by eight wickets at Hambantota in July. They have gone through their last 12 ODIs without a win which includes two 5-0 series whitewashes against Pakistan and India.

“Any team can go through this it’s like a cycle. There’s a period that you do well, another period that you don’t do so well. We can’t be bringing players from other countries and play to come out of this. We have to work with the players we have,” said Perera.

“With the talent we have, I am satisfied that moving forward we will be alright. We lack a bit of confidence. One game if we win, everything will be fine I feel. If we do our basics right, we can win games. Don’t forget that we were ranked number two or three not long ago and we should be fine moving forward.

“We lacked confidence against India. If you come and see the things the boys do at training and if we can replicate that on the field, it will be totally different. My personal feeling is that when we lose regularly we lack confidence,” he said.

Perera welcomed the return of Kusal Perera and Asela Gunaratne into the one-day squad after injuries.

“When we were doing well, we depended a hell of a lot on them. They helped us to balance the side. I am really pleased with their arrival as it helps us to balance the side,” said Perera who arrived in Delhi in the early hours of Tuesday with eight other ODI players.

“Only a few guys are in the ODI outfit from the Test squad. Due to rain, we couldn’t train much in Colombo so that’s the reason why we tried to get to India early. We had a practice session already and have two more. We have nothing to lose, we have everything to gain. If we produce our best game, any team can be beaten,” he said. Perera said that the absence of Indian captain Virat Kohli who has been rested for the series wouldn’t make the Indian team weak.

“Kohli is their leading batsman. However, although he is not there, they have some very good batsmen. We don’t think about that too much. We think of playing our best cricket and that’s what we are focused on.”

Perera who replaced Upul Tharanga as the ODI captain said his new appointment gave him a lot of confidence.

“They (the selectors) were impressed the way I captained the team against Pakistan. It’s a huge strength for me. The confidence that they have given me I see as a big opportunity. I want to make this team a winning unit,” he said. The ODI series commences at Dharmasala on December 10 and moves to Mohali on December 13 and Visakhapatnam on December 17. 


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