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Former Sri Lankan all-rounder Farveez Maharoof said that the Lankan Lions need to be more consistent in the longer format and added that the veteran batter Dinesh Chandimal is going to be an "important cog in the wheel" during the two-Test series against India at home.
Maharoof is a part of the expert panel for India's Test tour of Sri Lanka starting from August 15 onwards on Sony Sports Network, the official broadcasters of the series. Ahead of the all-important World Test Championship (WTC) series, Maharoof spoke on need for SL being more consistent in Tests, having finished seventh, fifth and sixth in the previous three completed WTC cycles. The former all-rounder, who represented SL in 139 matches, scoring 1,702 runs and taking 167 wickets, also said that for the skipper Dhananjaya de Silva, it is the best chance to beat India at home. India won the previous two Test series in Sri Lanka in 2015 and 2017, having last lost against SL in 2008. Speaking on how Sri Lanka can take their game to a next level, Maharoof said while interacting to reporters in an interaction facilitated by the broadcasters, "I think they got to be more consistent. I think the word I've always used against Sri Lanka, I mean, with Sri Lanka is consistency. Whether it's individually, or whether it's, you know, as a whole. The biggest disappointment for me was how they faced such soft dismissals in that Antigua Test (against West Indies in July which SL lost by an innings margin). In Tests, the name Test itself speaks volumes, It is a test for any batter on any surface." "I would like to see more fight, more grit and more consistency from the top order. Sri Lanka will miss the likes of Angelo Matthews for example, but there is enough talent coming through. The likes of Kamindu Mendis is probably going to bat at four, and Dhananjaya is the skipper. This is their best chance to beat India at home because not on many occasions Sri Lanka has beaten India, be it at home or away. He can go into record books as a captain by beating India, as they are also heading into the series with a lot of questions after losing to South Africa at home," he added. Sri Lankan veteran Chandimal, who last smashed a sensational 162* to help SL win at Galle by 63 runs back in 2015, has a fine record against India, with 750 runs in eight Tests and 16 innings at an average of 50.00, including two centuries and three fifties. The former all-rounder feels that as a 92-Test veteran, Chandimal has a massive role to play. "He is I think to bat at number three. He is the most experienced player and the former captain. The onus will be on him. I still remember this century, this third-inning hundred scored against likes of (Ravichandran) Ashwin, Amit Mishra. I think these are the happy memories he will carry into the match. It ia all about that one day, facing that one delivery. The concentration will be tested, not only for him, but for all batters in that humidity. Chandimal has played so much cricket, he knows what it takes to score against India. He is going to be an important cog in the wheel," he signed off. The series will form part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Led by Shubman Gill, India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship standings, having registered four wins and four losses in nine matches, with a Points Percentage (PCT) of 48.150. Sri Lanka is at sixth, with a win, a draw and two losses. India's squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka is: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi. (ANI)
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