Internet Desk: Ahead of facing World No.1 Indian cricket team in the third and final Test at Kandy, Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal is hopeful that his team will do well in the final Test. In a pre-match press-conference on Friday Chandimal said that his men are ‘hoping to win’ the third Test.
“We are two down but we still are a really good team. If we can win this game, we can get more confidence and go forward,” he said. “The series is not yet over. As a captain, I don’t like to lose,” he added.
Chandimal told that they are struggling to put a right combination on the park, “The manager and selectors cannot get the right combination, especially if you lose players like Rangana (Herath), Nuwan Pradeep and Asela (Gunaratne). They are good players. We are struggling because of that also but we don’t want to give excuses.”
Chandimal further added that the pep talk by Aravinda de Silva, a few days ago, has boosted the squad’s mental strength. “He is a legend and one of the greatest batsman that Sri Lanka has ever produced. We had a chat with him three days ago and after that the players look confident,” Chandimal said.
Asked about the pitch, the captain replied: “I haven’t had a look at the wicket because of the rain. Most of the time, we get seaming wickets here. So maybe it suits fast bowlers. We haven’t yet decided our team because of the weather.”
Chandimal further added that his team will miss the service of veteran spinner Rangana Herath, but hoped that pacers like Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando would surely grab their chances. The home team’s leader admitted that Ravindra Jadeja’s absence will aid Sri Lanka, “He is the No. 1 bowler at the moment. It (his absence) gives us a bit of confidence.”