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ShareMumbai: Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara didn't drop a bombshell. He spoke along expected lines. He stressed that his team would enjoy playing cricket in India. But he covertly engaged in some pressure tactics. India will be under pressure during the series, one that involves three Tests and five One-day Internationals. Sangakkara and Co will begin their tour with a game against the Board President's XI at the Bandra-Kurla Complex from Wednesday.
"We are here to relax and enjoy our visit to the country. India will be under pressure to keep their home record intact. We will try and put pressure on the Indians," Sangakkara said at a media conference on Sunday evening.
Sri Lanka haven't won a Test as yet on Indian soil in their 14 attempts. And the Sri Lankan skipper is aware of this unenviable record. "It's not that we are not good enough to win in India. It all depends on how you perform on a given day. We will have to wait and see how India react to the loss against the Aussies. Some teams react positively, while some don't," Sangakkara said.
Having spinners like Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath in their ranks is surely going to be an advantage. "We have a very good spin attack, which will be led by none other than Murali. I haven't seen a bowler better than him," Sangakkara added.The skipper also stated that Mendis is no longer a mystery bowler. "In the first series he may have been a mystery bowler, but now we have so much video footage of his, everyone knows his style."
Asked whether the young and inexperienced pace attack would be able to contain the Indian batsmen, Sangakkara said, "Sometimes you need a fresh attitude to do the trick. They may be inexperienced, but Indians haven't played them much and that could be an advantage for us," he added.
The captain seemed extremely satisfied with the way all-rounder Angelo Mathews has shaped up. "We prefer going in with three seamers and two spinners and with Angelo around we have lots of options...It's great to have someone like Angelo," he quipped.
The presence of two wicketkeepers in Prasanna Jayawardene and Kaushal Silva will also be an advantage, feels the left-hander. "Kaushal, who is an understudy of Prasanna, has scored a lot of runs in the domestic tournaments...their presence gives the captain a lot of options with the bat."
Talking about the ODI series, Sangakkara said that veteran Sanath Jayasuriya wouldn't be opening the innings anymore.
