Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene exhorts teammates to spend more time at the wicket and curb rage for big shots
Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene exhorts teammates to spend more time at the wicket and curb rage for big shotsADELAIDE: A day ahead of the crucial match against India, Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene urged his players to spend more time at the wicket and be patient.
“Guys who have scored runs haven’t gone for big shots. They have relied on the patience game, Michael Clarke did so the other night, Gautam Gambhir in Brisbane, Sanga Kumar Sangakkara in Perth,” Jayawardene said.
“One needs to spend more time at the wicket and wait for opportunity. It’s not easy to score runs quickly but rather you need to work your way in the innings,” the skipper added.
Jayawardene also asserted that players should not be bogged down by negative thoughts and runs would flow only if they just “hang around”. The team still has four more games to look forward to. “We need to keep wickets in hand and bat well and not to have too many negative thoughts going into tomorrow’s game,” Jayawardene said. “We need to forget about the bad games and move on,” he added.
The Sri Lankan keeper exuded confidence about his bowlers saying they have given him no cause for any complaint but Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan haven’t been among wickets which is sad, he said.
“Teams give the two bowlers respect and don't want to give them too many wickets. Both Murali and Vaas have kept it really tight. I am happy with my bowlers. They have done a good job,”Jayawardene said.
The Sri Lanka skipper said his team’s goals were not dissimilar to India going into tomorrow's match. “We’ve the same thoughts — beat them in both the games and get into the finals.” Sri Lanka would be looking to win two of their remaining four games the same thought which is uppermost in India’s mind.
Jayawardene believed the wicket at Adelaide Oval wasn't different to what they had faced in a three-day game ahead of the Test series last year. “We are playing on the same wicket we actually played in a three-day game here. It had a bit of grass, bit of pace and movement.
“It’s a good thing. It’s a used wicket and probably could get slower and spinners might have a role to play in it. But right now it looks a good wicket.”
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