The Hindu : Sport : Lessons learnt from tour match

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Lessons learnt from tour match

The loss has shown us the importance of not taking any match lightly, writes Kumar Sangakkara

We go into our first match of the Commonwealth Bank tri-series against India on the back of a defeat against Tasmania, and I will say that the loss has once again shown us the importance of not taking any match lightly, even though it was a practice game.

Sometimes, warm-up matches offer the scope for experiments with bowlers and batting orders, and the intensity tends to flag slightly. However, I would hardly call this a portent of disaster because we know that the business end of our tour begins with the match on Tuesday.

Yes, there was an unwelcome diversion in Hobart, when three members of our team encountered some people in a vehicle, and had some things hurled at them. Whether this was because we are Sri Lankan cricketers is not for me to say. All I can say is that it is beneath our contempt to even talk about such issues, and we are far better off concentrating on the cricket.

First-timers

For at least two of our team mates, this is their first visit to Australia, and though this one-day squad of ours has quite a few youngsters, talent and performance can never be about age, and proof of my belief is the brilliant form that Sanath Jayasuriya is in. He has taken five stitches on his jaw after being hit by the ball during the Tasmania game, but he’s raring to go like the toughened veteran that he is.

India, too, has a relatively young team, and though the matter of team selection is ultimately up to the team management and the selectors, I should think the absence of such fantastic seniors as Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid is a loss for any side. However, as I say, tough decisions are sometimes taken keeping the team in mind, though my firm belief is that age has nothing to do with performance, and change is good as long as it benefits a team. The thing about seniors is that they can add value not just in terms of performance, but also guide youngsters about other aspects of touring, such as the art of spending time away from the game.

That is a separate issue, and we are here to talk cricket. We are keenly looking forward to the match against India, not least because we have been following their tour with some interest, with respect to matters both on the field and off it! But we are not focusing too much on India, choosing to focus on our own strengths as always.

I have always enjoyed playing in Australia, because it is the ideal atmosphere to test oneself. An Australian pitch is not a place to have second thoughts, but if you enjoy a challenge, there aren’t too many bigger than a tour of Australia.

Gameplan

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