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Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka said how head coach Sanath Jayasuriya has given the team the license to be expressive and free with their shot-making, and expressed hope that Team India and Sri Lanka, the co-hosts would meet in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup next year, 14 years after their 50-over final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Nissanka was speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the ongoing International League T20, where he is representing the Gulf Giants. Speaking to ANI about his and his team's conversations with coach Jayasuriya and the kind of messaging and backing the team gets, the batter said, "He is doing a fantastic job. He is working closely with the whole team and especially with me. He has given me permission to express myself and the freedom to play shots. And he encourages us to be positive no matter what. He is doing a fantastic job as a coach at the moment." Sri Lanka is in Group B in the T20 World Cup, besides Australia, Oman, Zimbabwe and Ireland and will start their campaign against Ireland at Colombo. He is very hopeful of doing well in home conditions and setting up a title clash against India in Ahmedabad. "Since we are playing at home, we are hopeful of achieving that (a T20 WC final). The entire team is hoping that we do well and reach the finals," he said. Nissanka also expressed his sadness with the team's Asia Cup campaign, where they lost all the matches in the Super Four stage. "We made a lot of mistakes during the tournament, especially in the batting department. We have analysed our mistakes and want to correct them going forward," he said. Nissanka is also in awe of Indian opener Abhishek Sharma, calling him a "fantastic player" who he enjoys watching bat. The 27-year-old opener, who is the leading run-getter for SL in T20Is with 2,345 runs in 79 matches at an average of 31.68 and a strike rate of almost 127, including a century and 18 fifties, said about his feat, "I am really happy with my performances. But I want to improve more and achieve more greatness coming forward." Currently, Nissanka is the top run-getter in ILT20, with 204 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 200.00, with a half-century in each inning. Speaking on playing ILT20's latest season under the leadership group of captain Moeen Ali and coach Jonathan Trott, he said, "I am really thankful to Gulf Giants for giving me this opportunity to play ILT20 and am happy with my performances. They (Moeen and Trott) are very simple characters and really easy to work with. It is a great opportunity for me to play with such experienced names and learn from them. It will help improve my game," he concluded. (ANI)
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