Dubai: Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya insisted that his team has no “mental block” against India, despite losing to Suryakumar Yadav and Co in a Super Over during an inconsequential Asia Cup Super 4s match.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh starred in the Super Over for India on Friday, restricting Sri Lanka after they matched India’s 202-run total in 50 overs, highlighted by opener Pathum Nissanka’s aggressive century.
Jayasuriya expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, emphasizing that despite losing all three Super 4 matches, Sri Lanka has the potential to go far in the tournament.
“I would have preferred to finish games in regular time. No captain or coach wants it to come down to a Super Over,” Jayasuriya said at the post-match press conference.
“Unfortunately, Dasun Shanaka missed completing the third run. But there’s no mental block against India. Our batting lineup is strong, and we gave ourselves confidence. Chasing 203 is never easy, but we nearly did it, which shows our quality,” he added.
Sri Lanka had previously faced a similar fate in 2024 during the third T20I in Pallekele, squandering an easy chase and leaving the match to a Super Over, which India also won.
Jayasuriya lauded Nissanka (107) and Kusal Perera (58 off 32 balls), whose second-wicket partnership yielded 127 runs off just 70 balls.
“When chasing 203, finding boundaries consistently is crucial. Their partnership was key. Momentum shifted when wickets fell—that’s natural because someone must take risks,” he said.
“Pathum got out at an unfortunate time, and the ball began turning more. Still, it was a high-quality game. Kusal is among our best players against spin and played his role well, though I would have liked him to bat longer. Both took calculated risks and executed well when aiming for boundaries. Despite a recent hamstring issue, Pathum gave 100 percent for the team, showing his commitment.”
Jayasuriya also pointed to the team’s slow adaptation to pitch conditions as a factor in their defeats.
“In T20 cricket, reading conditions quickly is critical. For instance, in Abu Dhabi, first-round pitches had pace and bounce, but conditions changed in the second round, and we were slow to adapt. That cost us,” he said.
“The Bangladesh match in the Super Fours was disappointing—we scored 168 on a decent pitch but failed to defend it. Against Pakistan, we were again late in assessing conditions. Today, India played well to surpass 200. Our boys showed they could chase that, but fell just short. Apart from the Bangladesh game, I’m fairly satisfied, though disappointed we didn’t reach the final. We have the batting and bowling talent.
“The key is executing plans according to conditions and the opposition. If we do that consistently, this team can go very far,” he concluded.
