Sanga may miss India tour
Kumar Sangakkara has sustained a niggle in his spine while training and it might rule him out of the hastily-arranged five-match ODI Series against India if he fails to recover in time for the tour which starts in ten days, Sri Lanka chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya revealed yesterday.
Jayasuriya admitted it would be great blow to lose the experienced star batsman for a difficult tour, but said they hope to bring in young wicket keeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella if Sangakkara is not available for selection.
“We indeed have a few injury worries, but it would also give us an opportunity to test the young players before the World Cup” Jayasuriya explained.
Star all rounder Thisara Perera had also not taken part fully in a rigorous fitness training schedule Sri Lanka team underwent in the past few weeks due to a leg injury he is reported to have sustained while bowling his last delivery in the concluded Champions League tournament.
Key paceman Lasith Malinga is still recovering from an ankle operation he underwent in Australia while paceman Suranga Lakmal is also reported to be injured.
Jayasuriya said that international bowlers such as Farveeez Maharoof, the 30 year all rounder who played his last ODI more than two years ago and Shaminda Eranga would be on the radar for the tour party.
Meanwhile SLC sources said that Sri Lanka will also rest some of the senior players for the India tour keeping in mind the work load ahead for the team before the World Cup that starts in February next year.
SLC plans were somewhat revealed in a media release they issued on Monday when they stated “SLC believes that this tour will be a good opportunity for the fringe players to show their talent to be in the reckoning for the upcoming World Cup”.
Meanwhile India also decided to give a break to their skipper MS Dhoni who was not named in the squad for the first three ODIs, while young wicket keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha would replace him.
Virat Kohli has been named to captain the team in Dhoni’s absence.
India has also rested their leading pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, bringing in Varun Aaron. R Ashwin, who was rested for the abandoned ODI series against West Indies would come back into the side, replacing left arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
India also announced Cuttack, Hyderabad, Ranchi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad as the venues for series that will end on November 15.
Sri Lanka’s tour was an ad-hoc arrangement after West Indies pulled out of their India tour last week due to pay dispute between the players and their board.
As a mark of gratitude BCCI has agreed to tour Sri Lanka in July-August 2015, in place of a schedule tour by Sri Lanka to India in that window in the FTP.
Following some confidential SLC reports that questioned the fitness levels of the national players, Sri Lanka squad had been undergoing an intensive fitness programme conducted by fitness expert and former rugby star Chandrishan Perera.
The programme had reportedly been focussed carefully to condition the players to peak at correct fitness levels for the World Cup time period, but would have to be abandoned midway in a move that obviously compromises the player preparation for a lucrative tour offer that is guaranteed to bring in a lot of much needed cash to the starved SLC coffers.
Sangakkara voiced his concern about the move in a tweet that received wide global publicity last week.
“Our 6 weeks of pure fitness work ends abruptly. Have a week to do a month’s requirement of skills work before India. Planning ahead anyone” was how the former skipper craftily expressed his view in a keen but failed attempt to avoid controversy.
Sri Lanka’s World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga also slammed SLC for taking up such a tour at short notice.
“If our players are tired when the World Cup starts, we will have a big problem at our hands” Ranatunga told Saroj Pathirana of BBC Sandeshaya, pointing out that Sri Lanka has to play two more seven-match ODI series against England New Zealand before the World Cup, bringing the total number of matches to 19 within the three months from November to the World Cup.
Ranatunga had also ridiculed SLC’s attempt to justify the tour by pointing out India and Pakistan touring Sri Lanka for a match when top countries decided to boycott matches in Sri Lanka during 1996 World Cup.
“Have we also done any favours like this to Pakistan in the past?” he questioned.
Indian squad for series: Virat Kohli (capt.), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, M Vijay, Varun Aaron, Akshar Patel.
Kumar Sangakkara has sustained a niggle in his spine while training and it might rule him out of the hastily-arranged five-match ODI Series against India if he fails to recover in time for the tour which starts in ten days, Sri Lanka chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya revealed yesterday.
Jayasuriya admitted it would be great blow to lose the experienced star batsman for a difficult tour, but said they hope to bring in young wicket keeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella if Sangakkara is not available for selection.
“We indeed have a few injury worries, but it would also give us an opportunity to test the young players before the World Cup” Jayasuriya explained.
Star all rounder Thisara Perera had also not taken part fully in a rigorous fitness training schedule Sri Lanka team underwent in the past few weeks due to a leg injury he is reported to have sustained while bowling his last delivery in the concluded Champions League tournament.
Key paceman Lasith Malinga is still recovering from an ankle operation he underwent in Australia while paceman Suranga Lakmal is also reported to be injured.
Jayasuriya said that international bowlers such as Farveeez Maharoof, the 30 year all rounder who played his last ODI more than two years ago and Shaminda Eranga would be on the radar for the tour party.
Meanwhile SLC sources said that Sri Lanka will also rest some of the senior players for the India tour keeping in mind the work load ahead for the team before the World Cup that starts in February next year.
SLC plans were somewhat revealed in a media release they issued on Monday when they stated “SLC believes that this tour will be a good opportunity for the fringe players to show their talent to be in the reckoning for the upcoming World Cup”.
Meanwhile India also decided to give a break to their skipper MS Dhoni who was not named in the squad for the first three ODIs, while young wicket keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha would replace him.
Virat Kohli has been named to captain the team in Dhoni’s absence.
India has also rested their leading pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, bringing in Varun Aaron. R Ashwin, who was rested for the abandoned ODI series against West Indies would come back into the side, replacing left arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
India also announced Cuttack, Hyderabad, Ranchi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad as the venues for series that will end on November 15.
Sri Lanka’s tour was an ad-hoc arrangement after West Indies pulled out of their India tour last week due to pay dispute between the players and their board.
As a mark of gratitude BCCI has agreed to tour Sri Lanka in July-August 2015, in place of a schedule tour by Sri Lanka to India in that window in the FTP.
Following some confidential SLC reports that questioned the fitness levels of the national players, Sri Lanka squad had been undergoing an intensive fitness programme conducted by fitness expert and former rugby star Chandrishan Perera.
The programme had reportedly been focussed carefully to condition the players to peak at correct fitness levels for the World Cup time period, but would have to be abandoned midway in a move that obviously compromises the player preparation for a lucrative tour offer that is guaranteed to bring in a lot of much needed cash to the starved SLC coffers.
Sangakkara voiced his concern about the move in a tweet that received wide global publicity last week.
“Our 6 weeks of pure fitness work ends abruptly. Have a week to do a month’s requirement of skills work before India. Planning ahead anyone” was how the former skipper craftily expressed his view in a keen but failed attempt to avoid controversy.
Sri Lanka’s World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga also slammed SLC for taking up such a tour at short notice.
“If our players are tired when the World Cup starts, we will have a big problem at our hands” Ranatunga told Saroj Pathirana of BBC Sandeshaya, pointing out that Sri Lanka has to play two more seven-match ODI series against England New Zealand before the World Cup, bringing the total number of matches to 19 within the three months from November to the World Cup.
Ranatunga had also ridiculed SLC’s attempt to justify the tour by pointing out India and Pakistan touring Sri Lanka for a match when top countries decided to boycott matches in Sri Lanka during 1996 World Cup.
“Have we also done any favours like this to Pakistan in the past?” he questioned.
Indian squad for series: Virat Kohli (capt.), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, M Vijay, Varun Aaron, Akshar Patel.
