Despite India being reduced to 74 for five , Sri Lankan coach Nic Pothas warned his side to not get too excited. In August, after India handed his team nine straight defeats across all three formats, the former South African wicketkeeper compared the opposition to rugby world champions All Blacks.
The Sri Lankan bowlers made most of the seam friendly conditions in Kolkata with Suranga Lakmal, in particular, bowling well. India have picked three seamers in Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the game.
“You have got to play your best cricket and strategize and plan accordingly. The game is not that old and we have only finished two days of play. Where we stand at the moment, we are very happy, but we are not getting too comfortable as it is a high quality Indian team,” Pothas told journalists.
The Sri Lankan coach praised the efforts of seamer Suranga Lakmal, whose 11 miserly overs produced three wickets.
“He is a very intelligent bowler. He does a lot of research and knows how to control his workload. He is very astute and knows when he is prepared. That’s the mark of any international bowler. He has improved immeasurably since the tour of South Africa. If you are playing international cricket, you have to always improve,” Pothas added.
The Sri Lankan coach was asked about India’s strategy of leaving grass on the wicket allegedly in a bid to prepare for the challenge ahead when they tour South Africa in December.
“That’s speculation. They have the right to do what suits their team for whatever is coming up. Good planning from their point of view and they have the right to do so. But as I said that’s speculation. All what we can do is to play to our best ability with the conditions that are provided.”
Inclement weather affected both days of play and only 33 overs have been bowled so far in the match. Weather is expected to improve in the next three days and Pothas was asked whether he expected a result.
“We just have to rely on our processes. It is not rocket science. We have got to go back and hit our lengths right. Hopefully things will go our way. So far we are pleased how things have gone for us. It will be very challenging batting conditions. You have got to still go out there and do the job.”
