Sri Lanka’s left-handed opener Dimuth Karunaratne is willing to think out of the box in an attempt to counter spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the upcoming three-match Test series against India.
Karunaratne was the leading scorer for Sri Lanka with 285 runs during the 0-3 loss to India in September. The 285 runs included an innings of 141 in the second innings of the first Test.
Dimuth KarunaratneI know Jadeja and Ashwin are both hungry for wickets. Every time they bowl itтАЩs about sticking to the basics. If I donтАЩt give them any chance, they will try to do something else. If we need them to change the field you have to do something extra. ThatтАЩs my gameplan. I wait for the loose ones and I will stick to that. If it does not work I will think out of the box and give some extra pressure to the bowlers.
Fresh from a career-best 196 that came against Pakistan in the second Test in Dubai last month, Karunaratne said the 141 in the second innings against India was confidence-boosting.
Dimuth KarunaratneThat hundred helped me a lot to take some confidence to Pakistan. It was not an easy wicket to bat in second innings. I was determined to get some runs especially against Ashwin, their wicket-taking bowler on that pitch.
“I was thinking to play first five overs without big shots. I realised it’s not easy. I played a lot of sweep and reverse sweeps and they had to change the field position. That’s my style, to play in my comfort zone and not go for anything else. That’s key and I can bat longer period, that’s my game plan,” said Karunaratne.
The 29-year-old who was dismissed twice by Ashwin and once by Jadeja in their home series said he has prepared for the series, starting on 16 November, by batting on dusty wickets back home.
“We have practised on dusty wickets and have another five days before the Test. We will prepare for the good spin attack,” Karunaratne, who scored a fluent 50 from 60 balls against Board President’s XI, said.
Asked how he would tackle the likes of Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, he said: “I played them in the last series. I have a few plans and I know what they’re going to do with me. I’ve prepped well. I will stick to that plan, if it needs to be changed I will go and do it.”
He further said Board President’s XI did not play a left-arm spinner as India may go with two left-armers in Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.
“They didn’t give us left-arm spinners. It’s not easy I know they will definitely play with Jadeja, and maybe Kuldeep to go alongside Ashwin,” he said.
Sri Lanka declared their first innings at 411/8 after 88 overs with four half-centuries in the tour game against Board President’s XI.
Sri Lanka played a third-string Board President’s XI in the two-day match but he said it did not matter as their main objective of getting runs was fulfilled.
Dimuth KarunaratneWe need a bit of confidence going into the series as apart from Angelo and Rangana nobody else has played here. It was good batting-friendly conditions and the ball was not turning much, so most of us batsmen got runs.
“It’s all about runs. It doesn’t matter if they bowl fast or slow, if they bowl good line and length that’s the most the difficult part for a batsman. They bowled really in good areas,” said Karunaratne.
