SL vs Ind 1st WTC Test – Dhananjaya de Silva explains Niroshan Dickwella and Lahiru Kumara selections

“The one factor I’ve to inform Niroshan Dickwella is to maintain nicely. That is why he is within the group.” Dhananjaya de Silva minced no phrases as he responded to probing questions on the recall of 33-year-old Dickwella to the Sri Lanka Take a look at squad. With no different wicketkeeper-batter chosen – Dinesh Chandimal now bats at No. 3 and doesn’t hold wicket in Assessments – Dickwella is sort of sure to be named within the XI on Saturday.

There are few gamers in Sri Lanka who polarise opinion like Dickwella, and this week his detractors have pointed to his report – primarily the batting common of 31 after 96 Take a look at innings – and requested vociferously why youthful gamers weren’t given an opportunity.

It was Dickwella’s retaining that swayed the selectors as they weighed their choices on the injured Kusal Mendis’ alternative, de Silva defined.

“Dickwella needed to depart the Take a look at squad over the previous few years as a result of Kusal Mendis went to No. 7, and Kusal has performed nicely there in the previous few years so Dickwella did not get an opportunity to return again,” he mentioned. “However whenever you play at Galle, crucial factor is that the participant with one of the best glovework performs.”

With the monitor in Galle anticipated to be flatter than normal, it is going to be particularly necessary that Sri Lanka convert their wicket-taking alternatives. In any case, Dickwella will play this Take a look at underneath an particularly unforgiving highlight.

“The choice to recall Dickwella is one we had with the coach and selectors, and so they all agreed,” de Silva mentioned. “We did have the possibility to provide a possibility to a different participant, however because the keeper with one of the best glovework, Dickwella got here via.”

De Silva was additionally pressured to defend the number of Lahiru Kumara, who over a nine-year profession has repeatedly damaged down throughout Take a look at matches. He bowled just one over within the first Take a look at towards West Indies in June earlier than going off the sector with a hamstring damage that ended his tour.

The final time India performed Sri Lanka in 2022, Kumara had picked up an damage mid-spell, and left the sector on the primary day of play in Mohali. Sri Lanka misplaced each these matches by an innings and many.

“As a rustic and as a group, we do not have an enormous pool of gamers that we are able to experiment with,’ de Silva mentioned. “Proper now in Sri Lanka, there isn’t any bowler who can substitute Lahiru Kumara within the squad.

“He is the quickest bowler now we have taking part in red-ball cricket. Sadly, he bought injured within the West Indies, and a collection that we might have gained turned a 1-0 defeat. Hopefully, he’ll use that as motivation and he’ll do one thing large for us on this collection.”

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