Sana through the looking glass
View(s):Lankan chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya was reliving a moment from his past. Six years ago when Sri Lanka had brought home the Asia Cup, he has set ablaze the National Stadium in Karachi when he thumped the Indian bowling attack to the tune of 125 runs in 146 balls that included a rain of fours and sixes.
His knock and T.M. Dilshan’s 56 in the middle order had seen the Lankans scoring a sizable 273. Then when the Indians were batting, young mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis, like a bolt of thunder, crept through the defence of six Indian batsmen at a cost of only 13 runs and bowled Sri Lanka to a 100-run victory in Pakistan, India’s west end.
Now Sanath was last Saturday at India’s east end, where Sri Lanka was taking on the other Asian giant — Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh in the 2014 rendition of the Asia Cup final.
This time he was not there as a man-in-blue, yet he was very much a part of the mechanism as chief selector. Not only Sanath, but Dilshan, one of the heroes of the 2008 cup win, was also not part of the team due to injury. Then, Ajantha Mendis, in spite of a 
successful tournament, was left out in the final. So the three main mice that bit the Indian cheese in the 2008 Asia Cup final were missing in the middle.
Jayasuriya admits that he is a superstitious man. So much so, even today some of the international commentators discuss the superstitions of Jayasuriya who used to do an act of his own before facing each delivery.
There was no difference on this day, he just stood in one place and cheered his side through. He says: “I am a very superstitious man. I did not budge from my position till the game was over. I was afraid that if I changed my position, something bad would have come our way”.
He is a proud man on many counts. The chemistry of the present Lankan side is healthy. The seniors know their responsibilities and the young guns keep picking the right fruits and thus making the whole effort a cohesive run.
Unlike in 2008, a huge part of the onus on the Lankan performance is on him. Back then he was an almost an automatic choice but, there was no overall responsibility on his head. Now it is he who has to give the nod of approval as to who goes in there for the battle. It is he who has to think of the right blend and then see if the concoction is working.
Up there on the ladder, some of the decisions that he has to make are not always as sweet as honey, or orthodox. Calling back Lasith Malinga from the ‘Big Bash’ Down under and stopping Tissara Perera going for the same have seemingly paid dividends. Both cricketers are now moving on to top gear and there is more to come.
One huge relief is that Sri Lanka has won a major trophy in cricket after six long years. Yet, still this is only a regional accolade. There is a bigger challenge coming their way soon and this is a challenge that the Lankans have to take with the utmost seriousness. At the 2009 T-20 World Championship final, Shahid Afridi almost singlehandedly took the game away from Sri Lanka with an uncharacteristic 54 not out, after Sri Lanka had messed up their inning with some bad batting. Then in 2012, when everybody expected Sri Lanka to walk away with the trophy, the West Indies produced a stupendous Marlon Samuels inning to dash the Lankan hopes on their very doorstep.
However, Jayasuriya has a lot of faith in the present combination. He says: “They are playing beyond expectations. There is an advantage where they are now used to the conditions in Bangladesh where they have been playing almost for the past two months.
“T-20 is a different ball game, but we are good at it and that is why we are at the top. In the inaugural year, we were in the super eight. Thereafter, we have been twice in the final between a semi-final.”
When asked how confident that he is with T-20 captain Dinesh Chandimal, as he has been slacking with the bat at recent times, Jayasuriya explains that he has confidence in Chandimal’s capabilities as the captain of this unit.
“Because of his indifferent form, we left him out for the last two games of the Asia Cup. This would work in two ways. That gap gave him the opportunity to tighten some loose ends. At the same time now he knows that he has to work hard at his game. I am happy that he gets all the support that he needs from the seniors in the side, so now it is up to him to deliver the goods”.
The former swashbuckling opener says his only concerns are the injuries to champion Lankan spinner Rangana Herath and senior batsman T.M. Dilshan. “If Dilshan is fully fit, he will definitely open the inning. At the same time I am a bit concerned that steady Lahiru Thirimanne may not get to open the inning.”
Jayasuriya says he is worried about shifting the in-form lefthander back and forth in the order. Yet, at the same time he reiterates that the T-20 version of the game is different to the 50-over version.
While being concerned about Herath’s injury, Jayasuriya is elated with the discovery of left arm spinning allrounder Chathuranga de Silva. He says the young allrounder is doing pretty well in both departments – batting and bowling. Especially in batting, twice he went in at crucial points, but, batted well without succumbing to pressure. “This is exactly what we expect from younger players and he is well on course”.
But, the chief selector sends a warning signal, saying that Chathuranga de Silva should not let complacency take over or become over confidant. At the same time Jayasuriya also praises youngsters like Ashan Priyanjan and Kithruwan Perera who have made use of the opportunities that came their way. However even these two batsmen should be aware of the same concerns that he has on Chathuranga de Silva.
Jayasuriya also makes special mention about Mahela Jayawardena. “He is a professional. We all had the confidence in him that he would deliver the goods and likewise when the call was on him he came up with a superb inning in the final.”
The former Lankan captain feels that Sri Lanka must hold on to this momentum. “Winning the Asia Cup is an impetus. We have broken the barrier of not winning a major international competition for six years. The next step — the ICC T-20 is also huge — our next goal should be that. However all these achievements must be diverted towards our performance in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. That should be our ultimate goal.”
Finally Jayasuriya says the present upsurge in cricket is a result of a properly-focused mechanism. Besides the players at the top, the main coaching staff’s output is good, according to him. Then the rest of the coaching staff is working non-stop with the rest of the contingent which includes the Test players and the fringe players. They are also kept in good condition.
“In addition Sri Lanka Cricket is providing the ‘A’ team and the Under 19 team cricketers with a stream of junior tours. So now the exposure is running deep and the necessary talent is coming out in an endless stream,” Jayasuriya says.