Cricket: Nidahas Trophy bound to be another learning curve

"The Messiah has come with his disciples" said Angelo Mathews, after Sri Lanka returned home from a successful tour to Bangladesh. 

The "Messiah" he referred to was Chandika Hathurusingha, the man who seems to have injected new life to a group of players long plagued by a defeatist mindset. 

The tri-nation series began with two defeats against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and critics were quick to write off the team once again. 

But the islanders speedily adjusted with a fightback, not only winning the ODI series but the Test and T20 series that followed. 

These victories may have been scored against weaker oppositions. 

But the manner in which Sri Lanka performed showed a carefree swagger--something that had been missing during the teams horrendous run post the Australian victory of 2016. 

In Colombo, Hathurusingha played down his influence. 

All that had happened was the team began to play as they had over the years--when Sri Lanka were the most dynamic team in world cricket--he said. 

“There were reports that my insight into Bangladesh cricket helped Sri Lanka’s success during the tour," he said. 

"I don’t think a single person can make such a huge impact. It was these guys who executed our plans. I reiterate that we won it because of the players." 

Hathurusingha was enlisted in late December, just three weeks before Sri Lanka left for Bangladesh. 

One of his first steps was to instill discipline across all formats. 

Before the tour, the team went through a series of strenuous training sessions. 

Some tactical changes were also made during the tour to bring back confidence. 

For instance, Kusal Mendis was promoted to open batting in T20s and he came out with fine colours scoring two match winning knocks. 

A greater trust was placed on all-rounder Thisara Perera while spinning all-rounder Jeevan Mendis was also brought into the side. 

"The biggest contribution was the environment, which was good for the players,” Hathurusingha elaborated. 

“The coaching staff also helped a lot. We communicated a lot with the players on their concerns and views, we tried to get them to focus on their cricket and perform without worrying too much about the outcome. That was the major point in us enabling to turn things around." 

Sri Lanka struggled across all formats in 2017. Except for two T20 victories against South Africa and a Test series win against Zimbabwe at home, the team fell to the depths of despair. 

But Hathurusingha’s arrival signals new hope for players, administrators and fans. 

But sterner tests await. In March, Sri Lanka hosts Bangladesh and India in a T20 series. 

The Indians have been one of the best limited-over sides in recent months. 

But they will send a team under Rohit Sharma with several seniors including skipper Virat Kohli being rested. 

Bangladesh, down after their miserable performance against Sri Lanka, will be keen to improve during the short series. 

This will be followed by a tour to West Indies before Sri Lanka hosts England and South Africa at home later this year. 

Tour schedule 

March 6: Sri Lanka vs India 

March 8: Bangladesh vs India 

March 10: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh 

March 12: India vs Sri Lanka 

March 14: India vs Bangladesh 

March 16: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 

March 18: Final