Indian Captain Virat Kohli, Sri Lanka Captain Angelo Mathews and coach Marvan Atapattu held joint media interaction yesterday to launch the Three Test series. here are the excerpts of the briefing.
Angelo Opening remarks: Let me take this opportunity to welcome Virat and his team. Hope you guys have a pleasant stay in Sri Lanka and enjoy the great hospitality Sri Lanka has to offer to you. The last time the two teams met in a Test series, it was a memorable occasion for all of us, the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan retiring, the highest wicket-taker of all time. It was a great moment for all of us and this time once again, playing against India the great Kumar Sangakkara is going to retire. So it is going to be a special occasion for all Sri Lankans. I am sure both teams are geared up to play some of the best cricket being played. I wish both teams all the best and may the best team win.
Virat opening remarks: I am really glad to be present in this press conference, my first pre-tour conference for me as captain. So I am really excited, our young team we all are starting our careers together. I am saying starting our careers because Sri Lanka is a very special place for me, I played my first international game here. My career actually kick started from Sri Lanka, so it will always be a special, close to my heart. I remember having played so many games in Sri Lanka, we know each other so well, get along well with each other because of playing each other so much. Sri Lanka is one team we enjoy playing against each other. So, it makes it so competitive and all the more exciting.
After Pakistan series loss how are you going to pick yourself up?
Matthews: We had a tough series to be honest but it is just that, it is a quick turnaround, try and focus on the Indian series. We can’t really worry about what has happened in the past. Got to move on. We have to stay positive and try and look forward to win all the games. It is going to be a really tough series for both the teams and I am sure the boys will be up for it.
Has captaincy changed the emotional side of your game? Responsibility on your shoulder?
Virat: Not at all. I don’t find any need to do anything different. I know I have been criticised a lot for being aggressive at times but that is something that has given me success as an individual and that is something that we believe in as a team as well. Not saying the line of discipline has to be crossed, but in terms of body language and mindset we would like to play cricket the way we did and Australia and, I felt it gave us a really good chance to be competitive against a really good team in their home. I don’t find any need to change the way I played or play at the moment. The whole team believes in the same mindset and that is what we are going to go in the series.
Your take on Sri Lanka on current form?
Virat: Sri Lanka and we are both in the rebuilding phase as far as getting the team together is concerned. Lot of players for them who have left in the past few years, and so is the case with us. We have got youngsters in the team, their youngsters have come on beautifully as well. It is going to be very competitive from that aspect, knowing players from and their places in the team. And the case of Kumar retiring after two Tests. He has been such a pillar for Sri Lankan cricket over the years. So, it is going to be a challenge for them as well as has been the case with the Indian team as well over the last six to eight months where we have had to rebuild and the batsmen have had to take more responsibility. So, I think the series is in the balance as far as the composition of the team is concerned. They might not express much but they play in a very competitive way.
Special plans for Sanga who would want to finish on a high note?
Virat: As far as cricket it concerned the plan is to get him out as soon as possible. He would like to leave a big mark on his last few Tests. But otherwise it will take a lot of planning to do something for Sanga, as a visiting team it would take something really special. I can’t say anything now, it has to be planned properly, otherwise we might end up offending a lot of people. So we don’t want to do that. He deserves the best of farewells, if you ask any left-hander in the world who he idolises, Sangakkara has to be one of the top three people, most of the left-handers, batsmen in general look up to. His record, in cricket, and Test cricket, have been magnificent. He has been such a match-winner for Sri Lanka.
They are going to dearly miss him. I have had a great relationship with him as well. Whenever we have played against each other, we have had conversations and he is someone who will always talk about cricket and always willing to help the younger players around. Great man, great cricketer. So, he deserves a very good farewell. So we will prepare accordingly.
How much of homework have you done on captaining the team in Sri Lanka?
Virat: I think we don’t need to do too much different from what we have been doing in the past few Test matches. I think the one area we have sort of not capitalised is being on top in those crunch sessions like say just after a session or just before the session break or drinks break.
Those are the moments we have not really captured well in the last few games. That’s probably been the difference in us winning Test matches, drawing them or being on the losing side because we have played in a very competitive way but those small mistakes matter a lot in the end.
Homework has been done, definitely. We have seen the Test matches against Pakistan, how they went and the kind of areas the bowlers were looking to bowl and all those sort of things have been collected together and we have a lot of data as far as that is concerned. Nothing different needs to be done as far as our game plan is concerned. A few other areas such as holding on to important chances in the game can be very crucial and that’s one area where we have not really been at our best as far as Test cricket is concerned. We are a great fielding side in the one-day format, that’s one area where we have really worked hard on and we will continue to do that throughout this whole series and going ahead in the longer format as well.
