Sri Lanka’s newly-made interim coach, Sanath Jayasuriya, is eyeing an opportunity to take advantage of the absence of pillars of Indian cricket in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, in the upcoming three-match T20 series. The duo, along with Ravindra Jadeja, recently retired from Twenty20 international cricket after the nation healed billions hearts by clinching the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados.
Jayasuriya on Kohli-Rohit
Jayasuriya acknowledged the immense talent and caliber of Rohit and Kohli, stating that they are among the best players in the world. He emphasized that their absence will be a significant loss for the visitors, and Sri Lanka must capitalize on this opportunity. With Rohit’s leadership and Kohli’s consistent batting prowess missing, India’s team dynamics will undoubtedly be affected and a much younger side is to face the hosts.
“Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are best players in the world. Looking at their talent and the kind of cricket they have played we all know where they belong, along with Jadeja,” Jayasuriya said to Sportstar. “Their absence will be loss to the Indian team and we have to take maximum advantage out of that.”
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Much riding on IND vs SL series!
The first T20 match is scheduled for Saturday, followed by the second match on Sunday and the third match on Tuesday, all to be held at Pallekele. Jayasuriya is determined to make the most of this chance, especially with new leadership in place for both teams. He took over as interim coach after Chris Silverwood quit following Sri Lanka’s first-round exit from the T20 World Cup, while Charith Asalanka has replaced Wanindu Hasaranga as captain.
Gautam Gambhir is leading Team India for the first time as head coach, with Suryakumar Yadav as captain and Shubman Gill as vice-captain. Team India have always had an advantage over the Lankans, having won 19 of the 29 T20Is played between them. In fact, Sri Lanka’s only T20I series win in 2021 came when India handed debuts on a platter, with several youngsters featuring in the time. If Jayasuriya’s comments are anything to go by, this might be a perfect opportunity for the Islanders to outclass a strong-looking Indian team in a T20I series.
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