As Sri Lanka looks to end its decade-long win drought against India in Tests, former Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews said the team has to play a positive brand of cricket to tame the visitors.
“You’ve got all the videos, and there are no secrets in international cricket nowadays. So, it’s about the positive body language and the mindset they need to take into the field. They are coming up against a huge Indian line-up, and it’s never easy to play against them in any condition. In the build-up to the match, there has been a lot of focus on the spin strengths of both sides and how many could feature in the XI. “Bumrah has got the skill to bowl in any condition. And he would have been lethal, especially in Galle with the reverse swing. So, Sri Lanka is quite lucky not to have come up against Bumrah. But Siraj, Jadeja, and Kuldeep have got the skill. So, Sri Lankan batters can’t be complacent.
However, the 39-year-old felt that fast bowlers could still play a huge part in the series.
You have got to respect the game and take it in a positive attitude,” said Mathews. It’s a matter of having the right attitude and taking the game on,” Mathews said during an online interaction on Friday, on the eve of the first Test starting in Galle.