"Our coach is very active" - Charith Asalanka hails Sanath Jayasuriya after beating India 2-0 in ODIs

Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka hailed interim head coach Sanath Jayasuriya after beating India 2-0 in the three-match ODI series. This is the first the island nation has defeated the Men in Blue in a bilateral ODI series since 1997.

The position was vacant after Chris Silverwood stepped down from his role at the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup. The selectors handed the job to the former cricketer on an interim basis, and Jayasuriya has managed to script a turnaround.

Asalanka also spoke highly of the Jayasuriya, saying that the players enjoyed the team environment. Speaking to reports after the final game of the tour, Charith Asalanka said (via Cricbuzz):

"They are in a good mood right now and our coach (Sanath Jayasuriya) is very active. The boys really enjoyed the team environment."

Sanath Jayasuriya will also be in charge of the side for the away Test series against England, starting August 21 at Old Trafford in Manchester.

"Spin was our strength and we backed it" - Charith Asalanka

All three ODIs had a similar script - Sri Lanka batting first and then putting the Indian batters under pressure with quality spinners. The Men in Blue batters struggled big time against slow bowlers, with Lankan spinners accounting for 27 of the 30 wickets that fell across three ODIs.

Charith Asalanka asserted that they backed their strength despite knowing the Indians are good players of spin and it yielded results.

"I am a happy captain right now. The team did all things right throughout the series. We all knew they are a strong batting line up and we wanted to back our strength, spin was our strength and we backed it," he said in the post-match presentation.

The victory over Rohit Sharma and company will be a huge confidence booster for the Lankans as they prepare for the 2025 Champions Trophy.