Galle, July 17: It took some time for the topic to shift from Muttiah Muralitharan. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara fielded questions on Murali and a few on the opening Test of the three-match series against India starting here on Sunday. Excerpts:
On Murali the person: As a bowler he is the best that I have played with. The greatest contribution from Murali to Sri Lankan cricket is the way he had carried himself in the dressing room, the way he has influenced the younger generation. He has absolutely no ego which is amazing for someone who has achieved so much. His only complaint has been when things don’t well during training. Money or fame did not matter one bit to him. He has been humble but always determined.
On Murali’s mental strength: No other bowler has been tested this much. It will be interesting to see how other bowlers around the world go through such rigorous testing with a cast on their arm. How many can stand such scrutiny and come up with such performances?
On the team combination: We have a strong squad to pick from. Ajantha Mendis has come back strong. The key is to make sure we pick a good combination. We’ll try to score big and allow our bowlers to try and apply pressure on the Indian batsmen.
On playing India too often: Sri Lanka-India is a hot rivalry that is being built and it’s good news for the public to get involved in Test cricket. If this builds into a traditional top-notch cricketing rivalry it would do a lot of good.