Sports

Have to take the team forward from where Virat’s left it: Rohit

Published

4 years ago

2022/03/4

India captain Rohit Sharma has credited his predecessor, Virat Kohli, for the success of the Test team in recent times and believes that the side hasn’t done “anything wrong in the last two-three years”. He’s looking forward to the challenges of Test captaincy and wants to pick up the threads from where Kohli left it.

“As a Test team at the moment, we stand in a very good position. If you look at the last five years of our Test cricket, the whole credit goes to Virat himself to get us going in this particular format,” Rohit said ahead of India’s opening Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali.

“You know what he’s done with the Test team over the years was brilliant to see. For me, I have to honestly just take it from where he’s left. The team stands in a very good position. Of course, we are somewhere midway in the World Test Championship table, but honestly, I don’t see that we’ve done anything wrong in the last two or three years of Test cricket. Of course, we want to improve as a team, every game that we play, and that is always going to be the benchmark that we’re going to set for ourselves moving forward. We’re looking forward to correct all our mistakes that we made in the past. No team I believe is perfect. You always try and improve every game. So that will be the sole purpose of us moving forward in the right direction.”

This will be Rohit’s first match as India Test captain and as excited as he is for this new challenge, he’s hoping to do right by the players and ensure that the team is focused on the present and not looking too far ahead.

“Honestly, I’m looking forward to just win games as much as possible and do the right things with the right players in the squad. That is the whole point,” Rohit said. “It’s a completely different ballgame – limited-overs and Test cricket. But my philosophy of captaincy will remain the same. I wouldn’t go away from that. And that is just staying in the present, understanding the situation that the team is in and what is the right call to make at that particular time. I’ll be thinking about all those things. It’s five-day cricket, so obviously things will change every day. So you have to do a lot of analyzing about how the first day went, what you need to do on day two, day three, and thereon. So I think a lot of things depend on how we react to a particular situation and then whatever planning or whatever strategy that we need to create, we will create that. That has been my philosophy, not to think too far ahead.

“It’s important to stay and think one thing at a time and not go too far ahead. Like we all know, it’s a different format, Test cricket and limited-overs. So there is no comparison there. It will be a challenge of course, it’s the first time I’m leading in red-ball cricket for India. I’ve captained a few games in Ranji Trophy but again, a whole lot of different challenge it is when you’re captaining the test team. But it’s something I’m really looking forward to. it’s going to be very exciting. And I really can’t wait.”

India are also in a tight spot in the WTC points table and have an uphill task at hand if they are to make the finals for the second time in a row.

“It’s gonna be a challenging one, no doubt about that. it’s going to be important that those nine Test matches that we’re going to play, I feel like we have to win almost every game. There will be a lot of pressure. But I think that is where you know you will build a lot of character as a team. You will see some of the champion cricketers coming out from these situations and that’s my belief; you thrive under pressure and you turn out to be a solid cricketer for the future.”

Rohit also spoke about the void left by Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, both of whom have been dropped for his series, and was excited to see how the likes of Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill fare. Rohit said that these players have been “waiting for a while” and he is looking forward to giving these guys a long run.

“Mayank, Shubman, Vihari, all these guys are brilliant. They are the future of Indian cricket. You know, and I think they need to be given a solid run for them to excel in this particular format. It’s important for us to do that and it will start from the management to show enough support, enough backing.

“Wherever there are changes in the squad, it’s always a fresh start for the guys who are coming in and it’s never easy. But those guys who are going to replace these two guys, Pujara and Rahane, have done exceedingly well whenever they’ve gotten an opportunity, whether it’s first-class cricket back home, or the India A tours or the limited opportunities that they’ve got playing Test cricket. I think we need to just back these guys to come good for us. You know, at times, you always need to look forward and I think those guys have been waiting for a while now. So hopefully, if they get an opportunity, they can turn things around for us. And it’s just not about one or two games but I’m looking at a number of years for them playing for India and doing well for us.”

Glad that the crowds have been allowed for the Test, which will also be Kohli’s 100th, Rohit harked back to his most favourite memories of his colleague.

“As a team, my favourite memory is the series which we won in Australia in 2018. It was a great series and Virat was the captain,” Rohit reminisced. “As an individual, my best memory of him is his Test hundred in South Africa in 2013. The pitch we were playing on was very challenging, it had a lot of bounce and a lot of us were playing a Test in South Africa for the first time. To then face Steyn, Morkel, Philander and Kallis… it was never going to be easy but the way Virat batted in that match, scoring hundred in the first innings and 90 odd in the second, was sensational. It was one of his best knocks. He had made a hundred in Perth in 2018 too but I think the one in South Africa beats that.”

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Sports

Brilliant one day, baffled the next

Published

9 hours ago

2026/02/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

Dasun Shanka’s captaincy has been uninspiring

One day they were kings of the hill, brushing aside mighty Australia with two overs to spare and sending the faithful into raptures. The next, they were brought crashing down to earth, unable to bat out their 20 overs as England handed them a sobering reality check. Cricket, as ever, proved to be the great leveller, lifting you to the heavens on Monday and reminding you of your frailties by Sunday.

The same fans who had burnt the midnight oil celebrating Australia’s exit turned restless when Sri Lanka ate humble pie. The wheel turns quickly in this fickle game. Applause morphs into angst in the space of little time.

Kandy’s supporters, passionate as they are, must tread carefully. Their behaviour in recent years has not always been up to scratch and the last thing the city needs is a clampdown on international cricket. Disappointment is part and parcel of sport. But hurling abuse and worse, objects onto the field, crosses the boundary rope of decency. That is simply not cricket.

There were positives amid the rubble. A depleted bowling attack did a commendable job to restrict England to under 150, no mean feat given modern T20 batting excesses. On another evening, that total might have been hunted down with calculated aggression. Instead, Sri Lanka’s chase never quite got out of second gear.

The over-reliance on Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis is becoming glaring. Once the top order’s twin pillars are dislodged early, the middle order appears to play catch-up cricket, swinging between caution and desperation. It is a dangerous tightrope.

Conditions, too, played their part. After incessant rain in Kandy, the pitch had been under covers for more than 48 hours. Surfaces suffocated that long tend to wear a different face once unveiled, gripping, stopping, turning. The return catches that accounted for Kusal and Kamindu Mendis told their own tale. They weren’t able to get the timing right.

Selection, meanwhile, has raised more than a few eyebrows. The omission of seasoned campaigner Kusal Janith Perera after two outings begs explanation. The recall of Kamil Mishara has left many scratching their heads. And Charith Asalanka, arguably one of Sri Lanka’s more assured players of spin, remains on the sidelines as the team grapples with slow surfaces. At this level, such calls can make or break campaigns.

Questions, too, swirl around leadership. Sliding down the batting order while wickets tumble is rarely the hallmark of strong captaincy. When the ship is taking on water, the skipper must be seen on deck. Leaders shoulder the burden; they do not pass the parcel.

Now Sri Lanka face a classic Hobson’s choice. Win their remaining two games and book a ticket to Calcutta for the semi-finals. Slip up once more, and it will be curtains. In tournament cricket, there is no room for half-measures. It is time to either hold their nerve or pack their bags.

by Rex Clementine

Sports

Vishmi Gunaratne, spinners star as Sri Lanka claim series 2-0

Published

9 hours ago

2026/02/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

Vishmi top-scored with 58. (Getty)

‎Sri Lanka Women took a 2-0 lead with another tight victory over the West Indies at St George’s on Sunday (February 22).

‎The second ODI carried a script similar to the first game: West Indies chasing a sub-250 total, an exact 50 by Jannillea Glasgow from No.7, and a narrow win for Sri Lanka.

‎The West Indies, who fell short by 10 runs in pursuit of 241 in the first ODI, had a smaller total to chase this time, bundling out the tourists for 208. At 166-4 in the 36th over, Sri Lanka looked set for much more, but lost their way, even as Vishmi Gunaratne kept one end occupied with a fighting fifty.

‎In response, West Indies, just like in the first ODI, had their top five sent back inside 100, leaving the lower order to push them close to the finish.

‎The talking point, though, was Deandra Dottin’s dismissal, out obstructing the field.

‎The incident occurred in the 30th over, with West Indies needing 94 at that point. Facing Chamari Athapaththu, Dottin went for a sweep, but missed the wide ball. It ricocheted off the keeper’s pads and flew back towards Dottin, who bizarrely tapped the ball with her bat and caught it with one hand. The Sri Lanka fielders went up in appeal straight away, claiming obstruction.

‎After consultation between the umpires and a referral upstairs, Dottin was given out. Next over, Aaliyah Alleyne was caught at backward point, pushing West Indies further into trouble.

‎But Glasgow stayed put, briefly finding company in Shawnisha Hector, but the partnership was broken by a brilliant diving catch in the deep by Nilakshika Silva, falling inches from the boundary.

‎Glasgow kept finding boundaries, targeting the area down the ground, forging a crucial stand with Afy Fletcher for the ninth wicket. With 18 needed off 22 though, Fletcher perished trying to take on Inoka Ranaweera, succumbing to another sharp catch by the Sri Lankans.

‎Even as she ran out of partners, Glasgow kept them in the hunt. However, off the last ball of the 48th over, her resistance ended, slapping one straight to cover, where Kavisha Dilhari took a fine catch on the second attempt. Glasgow crouched in despair, held up by her bat and consoled by Ramharack, even as the Sri Lankan fielders around celebrated the series win.

‎Sugandika Kumari took a three-wicket haul, as did Ranaweera, adding to her four wickets in the first game.

‎It’s the second bilateral ODI series win in a row for Sri Lanka over West Indies, having broken a streak of four straight series defeats to them until 2024.

‎Brief scores:

‎Sri Lanka 208 all out in 47.1 overs

(Vishmi Gunaratne 58, Harshitha Samarawickrama 35; Karishma Ramharackh 3-26)

‎West Indies 194 in 48 overs

(Jannillea Glasgow 50, Sugandika Kumari 3-38, Inoka Ranaweera 3-44)

(Cricbuzz)

‎

Sports

Saad wins best athlete title, reaches qualifying standards for World Junior Championship

Published

9 hours ago

2026/02/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

Saad Faleel with his coach Asanka Rajakaruna. (File Picture)

‎Inter International Schools Athletics Championship

‎Gateway College Kandy sprinter Saad Faleel stood out prominently among the rising stars of International Schools at the Inter International Schools Athletic Championship concluded at Diyagama on Sunday.

‎The athlete trained by Asanka Rajakaruna delivered a performance that not only earned him top honours but also established him as one of the most promising young athletes of the meet as he produced a record breaking feat in the 100 metres.

‎Competing against some of the finest athletes of the international schools arena, Saad demonstrated remarkable sprinting prowess to clock 10.44 seconds to win the Under 20 age category event.

‎Saad not only shattered the record held by Dineth Weerarathne (10.62 sec) but also reached qualifying standads for the World Junior Athletics Championship. His outstanding performance earned him the Best Athlete title of the meet as well.

‎Yahanu Ranasinghe of Lyceum Inyernational School, Panadura was the only other athlete to clock sub 11 seconds in the Under 20 100 metres.

‎Saad was also the winner of the 200 metres of his age category returning a remarkable time of 21.71, just four miliseconds shy of Weerarathne’s 2024 meet record.

‎From the very outset of the championship, Saad showed he was in exceptional form. His event performances reflected meticulous preparation and disciplined training. Whether it was his commanding presence at the start or his composed execution during crucial moments, Saad maintained a high standard throughout the competition winning the 100m heats in 19.67 seconds and 200m heats in 21.72 seconds.

‎In the girls category, Risansa Silva won the best athlete title for her outstanding feat in the Under 20 100 metres. The Lyceum International Wattala athlete broke the meet records in the 100m and the 200 m with feats of 11.88 and 24.25 respectively

‎

‎A milestone achievement

‎Saad Faleel’s accomplishment at ISAC 2026 marks an important milestone in his athletic journey as he has now earned qualifying standards to represent Sri Lanka at the August 5-9 event at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.

‎As expected, topping the points table was Lyceum International School Wattala, amassing an impressive 960 points to emerge as overall champions. Their consistent excellence across events ensured a commanding lead.

‎Finishing in second place was Gateway College – Colombo with 686 points. Gateway’s strong all-round performances kept them competitive throughout the championship.

‎Third position went to Lyceum International School Nugegoda, who collected 513 points, while OKI International School secured fourth place with 405 points.

‎Close behind in fifth place was Lyceum International School Ratnapura with 400 points, demonstrating commendable determination and team spirit. Horizon College International finished sixth overall with 239 points.

by Reemus Fernando