Greetings,
As Sri Lankan players, you guys must be a disappointed lot. The 3-0 demolition in Tests against us Indians was compounded by another crushing defeat in the first ODI. It must seem like there is no hope for you and honestly, you cannot be blamed for feeling so.
The Sri Lankan team has been in a state of transition after the retirement of stalwarts like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. Also, the lack of real facilities to get the best players into the team seems to be another reason for your relative downfall in recent years.
Don’t give up yet:
However, as the age-old cliché goes, “Don’t give up!” It has been a couple of hard seasons for you as cricketers and international cricket is one of the harshest environments to feel validated as a player. What you guys must keep in mind is the fact that you are facing one of the strongest Indian squads in recent times and such results were not a real surprise.
Even though it may sound like we’re being a little pompous and not humble, we do take you as serious opposition. You were able to demolish us in England, so there is no reason why you cannot do that again.
There are some real talents in the squad and if you really decided to show up one day, we could have a competitive game on our hands. Niroshan Dickwella was one player who looked good in the last game and the likes of Kusal Mendis are always going to improve with each passing game considering young age and ability.
Let the bad times finish:
As far as Sri Lankan cricket is concerned, this is one of the worst periods that they are going through and it is understandable. The only seniors left in the side are Malinga, Perera, Mathews and Tharanga to an extent. Herath is a senior by age but has not put in enough performances to really be considered a real presence.
The least that you young guys can do is try to imbibe as much as you can from those around you. Learn from the Indian team for example. We may be competitive on the field, but off it, players like Kohli, Dhoni, Rahane and Ashwin are always ready to chip in with some advice if necessary.
The lull has continued for a while but it can only be broken if you want it to. This is a time in Sri Lankan cricket when everybody is trying to figure out what is the best way forward and as players, your best chance to learn as much as you can is during this tough period. It is only during these moments that true champions show up and make themselves count.
You may not be of world-class level, but at least making an effort to be so could help exponentially.
Keep at it,
An Indian cricket fan.
