Top order gave great starts and that's the biggest change I see in this team: Asalanka

Led by Charith Asalanka, Sri Lanka registered perhaps one of the most memorable ODI series wins as a team by trouncing India 2-0 in Colombo. With every passing game, they turned better, and their spinners didn’t hold back with a performance for ages. 

While spinners claimed 27 out of the total 30 Indian wickets on offer, their top-order batters also played a crucial role. On August 7 (Wednesday), in the third ODI, the troika of Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, and Kusal Mendis scored 201 runs between themselves to prove their mettle. For skipper Asalanka, this was a huge positive, and a step in the right direction. 

"The biggest positive was winning a series against India after 27 years. The other big positive were the spinners. We had relied on Wanindu Hasaranga, but we've had Vandersay and Dunith playing well here too,” Charith Asalanka said in the post-match press conference.

"On these pitches, until the ball gets a little older, it's easier to bat, and it takes less spin. What we planned was for someone in the top order to get a big score, and for others around him to play around him and get to a good score. Today that was really successful, as Avishka got to 96, which isn't easy on a pitch like this.

"But the coaching staff and me as the captain gave that challenge to the batsmen playing up the order, including me. If you look through the series, the middle order was a little hit-and-miss, but the top order was successful, so we could get to those targets. The top order gave great starts and that's the biggest change I see in this team. If you look at our one-day cricket two or three years ago, we weren't getting good starts. As the No. 5 batter, I was coming in at the 10-over mark quite frequently. But now there's a foundation, and that's a sign of us maturing."

After the T20 World Cup debacle in June, Sri Lanka Cricket roped in the legendary Sanath Jayasuriya as the interim coach, and his influence was clear to see. Sri Lanka stuck to their plans in the evening and ensured India didn’t have too many easy balls to hit. Asalanka praised Jayasuriya for the freedom he provided to the Lankan team.

"As a team, we tried to create a good environment, after talking to the coach [Jayasuriya]. We tried to give a lot of freedom to our players and to show their talent. We don't put much pressure on them. We identify what the positives and negatives are, and we back their strength. 

“If they fail, it's not a problem. If you have that backing, you can play against a good team like this. In the T20s though we lost, there were positives in our top order. I knew as a captain that when we play to our potential, we can compete against the best,” the 27-year-old added.

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