"As a team, in patches, we did well" - Dimuth Karunaratne assesses his side's performance in the IND vs SL Test seriesΒ
Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne believes the team performed well in patches in the Test series against India. The visitors, despite a brief resilience led by the skipper on Day 5, suffered a defeat by 238 runs in the second Test to lose the series 2-0.
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The Sri Lankan bowlers put India on the backfoot on Day 1 of the pink-ball Test on a testing surface. However, they failed to capitalize on their position and let the contest gradually slip away from their grasp.
Lamenting the prospect of having to bat under the lights across both innings, Karunaratne said in the post-match presentation:
"Would have been happier if we would have been able to win the match. But I think it was a tough one, both times when we were batting, it was under the lights so that's the toughest part when you're playing."
The fragile Sri Lankan batting unit, which only reached the 200-run figure once in the series, collapsed while batting under the lights. Jasprit Bumrah swung the pink ball under the lights to great effect. He bagged his first five-wicket haul on home soil, ending the contest with eight wickets to his name.
Karunaratne, who scored a fighting ton in the fourth innings to delay the inevitable, noted that there is a lot of room for improvement. He said:
"As a team, in patches, we did well. We didn't have enough good starts to take capitalize. We also gave too many loose balls as a bowling team, that's where we need to improve when we go to the next series."
Sri Lanka will next host Australia in a two-match Test series in June. It will mark their first home series in the current World Test Championship cycle.
"He is one of the best I have ever seen in my entire career" - Karunaratne on the departing Suranga Lakmal
Sri Lankan pacer Suranga Lakmal brought down the curtains on his 13-year international career. The 35-year-old finished with a solitary wicket in his final match for the nation as he heads to England to play county cricket.
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Heaping praise on the veteran bowler, Karunaratne said:
"He is one of the best I have ever seen in my entire career. Whenever I gave him the ball, he did the job for me. I'm really happy that he will be playing country cricket. I think he will do really well in county cricket as well. I wish him all the best for his career ahead."
The former Sri Lanka captain will join Derbyshire after signing a two-year contract with the county side. He will reunite with former coach Mickey Arthur during his upcoming stint in England.