'Happy to be part of this team,� says Jayasuriya after Sri Lanks' ODI series win over India

Colombo, Aug 8 (IANS) Interim head coach Sanath Jayasuriya was elated after Sri Lanka secured a commanding 110-run victory over India in the third ODI to seal the series 2-0. This triumph marked the Island nation's first series win against India in 27 years.

Jayasuriya, who was part of the Sri Lankan team that last won a series against India in 1997, expressed his deep satisfaction at being part of this historic moment.

"It was a very long wait because I played in that series in 1997 and got a lot of runs. That was the last series we won against India. After 27 years, I am part of the team and I am very happy to be part of these boys. They are a very nice bunch of players and are talented and the whole country would have seen what we can do,” Jayasuriya said after the match.

"The boys went through a very, very hard time. Even during the T20 series, we played well but the result was not what was expected. The players realised what went wrong when we came back to Colombo and they started to play well," he added.

Sri Lanka entered the series as underdogs, having been comprehensively beaten 0-3 in the T20I series in Kandy and grappling with injuries in their pace attack. Jayasuriya praised his players for their ability to bounce back despite the challenges, including the series defeat in the T20 format.

Jayasuriya noted how the team's top order set strong foundations and how the younger players, including Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, and Asalanka, made significant contributions.

"We have been working with players like (Dunith) Wellalage, (Pathum) Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, and (Charith) Asalanka; all are very young players. Hasaranga got injured and Vandersay has been there for a long time but never got the opportunity and when we gave him the opportunity, he grabbed it with both hands," the interim coach said.

He also highlighted the impact of a seven-day coaching program conducted by Zubin Bharucha, the Director of High Performance at the Rajasthan Royals. Bharucha’s focus on long innings played a crucial role in building the players' confidence.

"I got Zubin from the Rajasthan Royals and he came and did a seven-day coaching program. We learnt a lot, the players learnt a lot about how to bat long innings, and one batsman was batting 2-3 hours. That gave the batters a lot of confidence. The players only need confidence. If they get some runs on the board, if they are bowling well, if someone gets starts and gets big runs, those are the little things they can do to get their confidence high. At the end of the day, we have beaten the No. 1 team in the world," said Jaisuriya.

Despite the success, Jayasuriya’s tenure as interim head coach is set to end as Sri Lanka Cricket continues its search for a permanent head coach following Chris Silverwood’s resignation in June.

Jayasuriya, who will return to his role as high-performance manager, expressed his gratitude towards Sri Lanka Cricket for their support. "I’m here as an in-charge for high performance, but I will support Sri Lanka Cricket in any way I can. I hope they find a great coach to lead this young team to further success," he concluded.