Sri Lanka has a ‘balanced side’ for ODIs, says Perera

The captain is confident his team is well-prepared for the one-dayers against India.

Thisara Perera speaks to journalists at a press conference in Dharamsala on Saturday.

Thisara Perera, the Sri Lankan captain, has a challenging job but is confident the team was prepared for the one-day series.

“We have prepared well. We had two good sessions over the last two days. We have a nice balance in the side. Hopefully we can do something special. At the moment, mentally and fitness-wise we have done well. We have a couple of players who have recovered from injury. We have a balanced side at the moment.”

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Perera pointed out the presence of power hitters in the team. “When you look at Niroshan (Dickwella), (Danushka) Gunathilaka, Upul (Tharanga), Angelo (Mathews), all of them are our power hitters. We want to do our job. Then we can beat any team,” he said.

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Mathews boost

The availability of Mathews as a bowler again was an encouraging factor. “He is bowling for this series. He didn’t bowl in the Tests. He is prepared for ODIs and T20s. That gives us an ability to balance the side. Batting all-rounder is someone who has to do something special. Hopefully he can do something special for us.”

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On the advantage of playing an Indian team without Virat Kohli, he stressed, “We actually don’t think on those lines. We have to do our best. We will assess the wicket and if we play our best cricket we can beat them.”