Making Sri Lanka great again!!!
Sanath Jayasuriya is known as an explosive opener who revolutionised limited overs cricket with fearless aggression. But now, as head coach of the Sri Lanka national team, Jayasuriya faces a new challenge: transforming a side that has struggled to find its footing in the years following the retirement of legends. After a rough start, including a T20 series defeat to powerhouse India, something unexpected began to unfold—a revival marked by bold strategies, restored confidence, and a newfound sense of purpose. In this interview, Jayasuriya opens up about the methods behind this resurgence.
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: You are four months into your appointment as coach, first as interim coach, and then as full time coach. But within this period, Sri Lanka has made a remarkable turnaround, even though you lost your first series against India (T20 series). How did this transformation happen?
A: It was a big challenge. There was a widespread belief that turning things around would be tough, especially after a difficult period and poor public perception. Add to that was the Indian series. They were reigning World T20 champions and we lost that series as well. So, the frustration was visible among players and spectators.
I understand the sentiment as I have been through these moments in my career. But I knew what these guys were capable of. They are good cricketers and they work extremely hard but they lacked confidence. We work on our training schedules little differently to make sure that they are comfortable with whatever they do. Even at practice sessions, I make sure that they are happy.
One of the key things was to get proper wickets to train at the High Performance Centre (HPC) because we had lots of issues in preparing wickets in the past. So, we started to prepare very good practice wickets and that gave lots of confidence to the players. These are little things but had a big impact on them.
I was a cricketer who played my natural game, and I encouraged each player to trust their own abilities while we focused on fine-tuning specific technical areas that needed attention.
Another key point I emphasised was discipline. As we all know, cricket is known as the gentleman’s game, and maintaining discipline is essential. I clearly communicated my expectations, and given their experience, the players responded positively. As a result, everyone fell in line, including my support team, who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes. Their dedication has been outstanding, and together we built a winning unit.
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: As you mentioned, you started off with a loss in the T20 series but surprised everyone by winning the ODI series 2-0. Did you expect such a quick turnaround against one of the top teams in world cricket?
A: After losing the T20 series, I appealed to the public for support, urging them to stop criticising the team. They needed confidence, as they are as capable as any other team in the world. Once they regained that confidence, I knew they could achieve great things. This is why they performed so well against India. When we won the first match, belief began to grow, and they started playing their best cricket. The positive results naturally followed.
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: How much of coaching is about working hands-on with players on their technique, and how much is about empowering them and creating a comfortable environment for performance?
A: I focused on creating an environment of hard work and discipline, which has greatly benefited the team. We introduced individual training sessions in addition to regular team practices. These sessions prepare players to perform on any type of wicket. Thilina Kandamby, our batting coach, has been doing an excellent job behind the scenes, spending significant time with players one-on-one. It’s all about hard work; all six top batsmen engage in individual training after every group session, which boosts their confidence. I’ve fostered this supportive environment with the help of my entire team.
I’ve observed how Kumar Sangakkara spends hours in the nets after group sessions to refine his skills, and I can assure you that our players are putting in similar effort, which has helped them excel in batting, bowling, and fielding. Naturally, there will be tough days, and we can’t expect all six batters to score runs consistently. I encourage those who get a start to aim for big scores, and we’re seeing this mindset take shape in the team. For bowlers, we now emphasise spot bowling, and the improvement is evident. Upul Chandana has also put in tremendous work on fielding, and the results are clear.
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: How has the HPC aligned with your requirements?
A: That’s been a great advantage. With Jerome Jayaratne leading the charge and support from coaches like Ruwan Kalpage, we have all the resources we need to implement our programme effectively. I believe that strong synergy among all entities is essential for cricket to thrive, and I can confidently say everything has come together well. We’ve also received support from visiting coaches; Zubin Bharucha had a fantastic session with the players, and Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga consistently share their expertise. During the England series, we welcomed Ian Bell, and we may bring in local expertise for the South African series as well. All of this is aimed at a common goal: making Sri Lankan cricket great again.
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: One of the biggest arguments against your appointment was that you did not have formal qualification to do so. However, it now seems that formal qualification isn’t all what is required but the skills to get the best out of the players. Do you agree with that?
A: It’s good on your CV to have all those Level 1, 2 or 3 qualifications. But I think, the cricket I played is more than enough for me to manage these players and get the best out of them. It’s more about managing them. There’s not much to correct in their techniques at this level but keep them fit physically and mentally is what is required. These guys have played lots of cricket and they know where they go wrong. So, coaches, with the help of technology, we need to assist them to correct them. It’s good that people raised those questions and I’m sure they must have realised that coaching is not only about certificates.
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: After 2015, when Mahela, Sanga and Dilshan retired, we struggled to form a core-group of players within the team for a longest time, contributing to Sri Lanka’s struggle across formats. However, it seems that Sri Lanka has finally got a core group of players–Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga. How do you see their impact in the team as we move on?
A: When seniors go out, it takes a little time to recover but it took little longer for us to fill those shoes. But now we are slowly narrowing that gap and started to perform in Test cricket. And when the Test team is starting to narrow that gap, eventually the white-ball teams will also narrow that gap. So, you would have seen that difference now when we are playing Test cricket. We made few adjustments to the batting order to fit in Kamindu Mendis and that has worked well for us. We asked Dinesh Chandimal to move top of the order to No.3 and he being a team man, did agree to do so. These little things do really help the team. It’s all about planning for the future and maintaining consistency. Also, we must remember to back the players who we have invested in. For an instance, Chandimal agrees to bat up the order, taking a huge risk and we as the management should back him. Kamindu had a long gap since his debut but when he was given the opportunity, he has been extraordinary.
One good thing is everyone wants to play red-ball cricket today. That’s is really important. Sometime back I felt like they are not so keen, given how lucrative playing white-ball cricket. But now they all want to play the longer format which is every good for the game.
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: A player like Charith Asalanka has played lot of white-ball cricket but just three Tests in his career. Do you think he can break into the Test side anytime soon?
A: I already had a chat with him and told him to concentrate on first class cricket. He will be playing club tournaments and the National Super League in the coming season and that will give a good headache to the selectors as well. So, not only Asalanka but there are lots of other players who can come and play the longer version.
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: Batting has been Sri Lanka’s biggest issue for many years but batting has been the biggest strength since you took over? What have you, or your supporting staff did to get the best out of these players?
A: To put is simply; confidence. We have six batters and we cannot expect all six to bat the same way in each and every game. However, there will be at least two batters who will get the start and I want them to score big, because if they don’t take then opportunity they will put pressure on others. Also I have told them that I need the batters to finish the game without keeping the tail-enders exposed.
At the moment they are doing it. Yes, we will not be able to do that in every game but we want to do that more consistently. In the recent series against West Indies, when we were chasing 160, we finished the game for the loss of just one wicket. We chased 232 in 28 overs in a 32-over game. So they now have that kind of confidence. I am very happy that they have that confidence. And when you have that confidence, when somebody gets out, they are very worried. I have seen some of the players get out and come back with a very bad face, because they know they could have done better. That’s the kind of attitude I like as a coach. They are united as family. That’s a very important thing. They are supporting each other, and I’m supporting them, and they know that.
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: Kamindu Mendis seems a special talent as he has been consistent across formats since coming into the side? He is on a purple patch at the moment. What’s your assessment on him?
A: I thought he showed his character during the Indian series. The way he betted in the lower middle order, was exceptional, pushing the score closer to 250 in all the games. He can bowl from both hands and that itself is an amazing ability. When we were in England, he scored the first 100 for us in Manchester and since then he has been outstanding. He is also a very hardworking player and there were few areas in his batting
which the coaches worked on and that has helped him to be the player he is today. Not only him, Pathum Nissanka is another special player, so is Kusal Mendis. They are game changers.
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: If you had to sum up your coaching philosophy, how would you describe it?
A: It’s simple. Play the Sri Lankan brand of cricket. I don’t want to change a bit of their natural game. But they must know to change gears accordingly. Even though I was an attacking batter, there were times that I had to change the gear and bat according to the situation. One thing I have told them is that they won’t get runs all the time and when they get make it count so that you can cover the bad patches you will go through.
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:As the coach what do you do before a game?
A: I always have a meeting with players and the supporting staff 48 hours before a game and discuss areas we need to work during training. We assess the strength and weakness of each and every player of the opposition team and make our plans. We try these during training. As I said earlier, my support staff has been excellent and we are working as a family.
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: The current WTC cycle present a great opportunity for us to qualify for the finals. But this required an extraordinary effort against two of the best sides in red-ball cricket–South Africa and Australia. Do you fancy our chances?
A: Thanks to Sri Lanka Cricket, we are sending about 10 players and two coaches, 10 days ahead to prepare for the series. We might be able to get another South African coach to assist during this period like we did with Ian Bell during the England series. We know that if we do well in South Africa, we have a very good chance of getting into the WTC final. Players know this and they are geared to do well. Even though, we lost the series, we did well in England and I am sure we can do well in South Africa as well.
If we do well in South Africa, definitely we have a chance. Because we play Australia at home. So these two games in South Africa are very important. This is why we are sending players early to prepare. If we can push one game, we are in with a chance.
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: Your contract ends after the T20 World Cup in 2026 which Sri Lanka co-hosts with India? How do you plan for this tournament?
A: Long way to go but we have a very tight schedule at the moment. It’s certainly one of our main target but right now I am also looking at the World Test Championships. The players want to win a world cup. We have always talking about 1996 and 2014 wins and it’s been long since we have won a title. So it’s time we win a world cup. These players can do that and I hope come 2026, we can achieve that goal.
I want to win more games in Sri Lanka. Fans love to see us doing well at home. So I have three major targets at the moment. In the long term to lead this team to win the T20 World Cup, in the mid-term to get into the WTC final, because if we win three out of the four games, we have a chance and then the immediate target is to win the series against New Zealand.
For the World Cup, we have identified about 20-25 players and we will be working with them during the next one and half years to get them to their best shape.
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: Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne are in their last stages of their career. What plans have you got to replace them when
they eventually call it a day, so that we will not go through a long transition, like we had?
A: This is in our radar. This is why we brought in Kamindu Mendis to the middle order. May be he can bat at No.4 when Angelo retires if he wants. We have Charith in the fringe who can come in. But as long as they are there, I want them to share their experience with the players and they are doing that.
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: Kusal Janith Perera played one of the greatest Test innings leading Sri Lanka to win with an unbeaten 153 in the Durban Test in 2018 against South Africa. Our next Test series is against South Africa but he is not around?
A: He is going through a difficult time with a back injury. He is slowly recovering and if we expose him to longer format, we are risking him. So we are managing his workload, so that he can give his best in white-ball cricket. You may have seen him during the last series, the way he batted, fielded and even running between wickets have been improved.
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: You have been a player, selector and now a coach? Which one is most challenging and satisfying?
A: All three offer different challenges but I enjoy coaching. This is the most satisfying thing, to share my knowledge with young players and see them excelling.