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Jayasuriya pooh-poohs talk of decline

Colombo: Sanath Jayasuriya, who at 39 continues to prove that not all batsmen slow as they age, laughed off suggestions that India’s Test middle-order is in decline. “These things happen,” said the left-hander, who will open for Sri Lanka in the forthcoming five-match ODI series against India.

“Sachin (Tendulkar) has had a long career and when you play for that long, you are bound to have a series like this,” said Jayasuriya. “He was scoring all those runs in Australia not too long ago. I am sure he will bounce back. Rahul (Dravid) and Sourav (Ganguly) are very fine players, and Rahul showed signs of feeling comfortable towards the end of the series. I can’t understand how one bad series will make you no good anymore, and people start speculating about your future.”

Jayasuriya was also appreciative of a kindred spirit. “Sehwag is different. His hand-eye coordination is exceptional and it’s good that he didn’t change his style after a disappointing outing in the first Test.”

Reputed to be one of the three hardest workers in the Sri Lankan ODI side, Jayasuriya was clocking gym time while his mates were playing Tests.

“I have been doing individual training,” he said. “There hasn’t been domestic cricket so I haven’t spent time in the middle. But that’s part and parcel of the game. You’ve got to be prepared for the challenge. Those are the demands when you play international cricket.”

On the ODI series, he warned of a possible backlash. “Yes we have beaten them in the Tests, but complacency is the last thing we want to see taking precedence. Their pride will be hurt as well, so they would want to make sure that they go home with a win in the ODIs.” — Special Correspondent

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