Pat Cummins Leads Australia to Thrilling Win Over Pakistan in
Our team is still quite strong: Dasun Shanaka
Despite the absence of spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka stated on Wednesday that the visitors have a strong enough lineup to challenge India in the T20I series, which begins on February 24. The World No. 4 T20I spinner was ruled out of the series opener due to his continued isolation in Australia following a positive Covid-19 test.
Sri Lanka came in Lucknow earlier this week after losing a five-match Twenty20 International series to Australia 1-4 in Australia. Hasaranga missed the past three T20Is in Australia owing to Covid-19 and was unable to go to India with the rest of the Sri Lankan team.
Hasaranga, one of Sri Lanka’s most dangerous spinners, will at the very least miss the first T20I in Lucknow, as Sri Lanka Cricket said on Wednesday that the spinner will be isolated in Canberra until he returns a negative RT-PCR test for Covid-19.
It has become the standard since Covid was issued and the young players have been in the system for quite some time. With the Covid issue, it has become the standard. It is a problem that all of the teams are dealing with. Wanindu will be a source of weakness for us, but we know he’ll be back shortly. “Our group is still strong enough,” Shanaka stated on the eve of the first Twenty20 International in Lucknow.
The team is very strong with lots of IPL experience.” They would be very strong. But we also have a positive side,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Shanaka asked the top order to take greater responsibility in the next three-match series against a formidable Indian team. The islanders were defeated 4-1 in Australia due to a batting collapse. Except for Pathum Nissanka, who hit 184 runs in 5 T20Is and topped the batting stats, none of the other hitters in the top-order performed well.
“We want the top of the order to fire.” We have a higher chance of winning when the top order is among the runs “He stated.
Indian bowlers have a good record, so we want our top order to ignite, giving our bowlers a chance to defend.”
“India has a strong bowling attack, and we want our top order to get going so our bowlers can defend.”
The first T20I will be held on February 24 in Lucknow, with the second and third T20Is taking place in Dharamsala on February 26 and 27.