Lankans Miss Self Belief And Victory

Today, as this Lankan team looks to pick itself up from the shock of three successive defeats against India – each of which was lost from a winning position – they could do little better than have a chat with

Lankans Miss Self Belief And Victory (Image Source: Google)

What changed for that set up of Lankans? The tour of Australia in 1995-96 and the leadership of Ranatunga had much to do with it. While that difficult test series resulted in a 0-3 drubbing for the Lankans, the defeat and even more, the chucking allegations on their main bowler Muralidaran, welded the team together like nothing else could have. Their skipper had the moral courage to look an umpire (Darrell Hair, who had called Murali for chucking) in the eye and not back down. It gave them a dose of self-belief that they could take on the best. Come the 1996 World Cup, they did take on the best and won! Naysayers will of course say that the conditions favoured them – but those conditions favoured India and Pakistan too. 

Today, as this Lankan team looks to pick itself up from the shock of three successive defeats – each of which was lost from a winning position – they could do little better than have a chat with the champions of that past team. Or if nothing else, perhaps the Sri Lankan men’s team should get a shade of coaching from their women counterparts – who comprehensively beat the Indian team to win the T20 Asia Cup, on the same day that the men lost the second match and with it, the series.