SL vs AUS: Dimuth Karunaratne Believes That If Fitness Is Taken As Selection Criterion, It Will Become A Problem

Sri Lankan Test Captain Dimuth Karunaratne expressed his thoughts on fitness issues, saying that as you get older, you have to keep your fitness as well, but if you use fitness as a selection criterion, it will become a problem.

Sri Lanka will face the tough Australian team in the upcoming two-match series beginning on June 29 after claiming a spirit-boosting Test series victory in Bangladesh.

Coming into the Test series against Australia at home, Dimuth Karunaratne stated,

“I think when we played them last time in Sri Lanka, we whitewashed them, and that confidence we will have with us that we can do it. But they will undoubtedly be prepared for our circumstances, which will undoubtedly be difficult and demanding.”

“The boys must be mentally tough, and they are completely focused on the Australian series. I believe they will give their all in the Australian series as well.”

‘I don’t think it can become a selection criterion: Dimuth Karunaratne

Sri Lankan Test Captain Dimuth Karunaratne expressed his thoughts on fitness issues.

“Maintaining fitness is important if you want to be a sportsperson, and it becomes much more important as you age. However, if you use fitness as a selection criterion, it will cause issues. That is what I believe happened; we had to talk with our senior players about what we could do to put together the greatest playing XI.”

“I believe that these fitness-related issues prevented us from fielding the strongest XI for the games. Because of this, we occasionally lose games, but I believe they will change their minds in the future.”

“Although fitness comes first, I do not believe it can be used as a selection criterion. The athletes make an effort to stay fit every day. When exercise becomes a habit, people can do it with ease, but since we are currently participating in a 2K session, it is unfamiliar to us, thus we are having difficulty. But if we keep running, it can get easier for us in the future since we will keep running.”

The two Test matches, which are a part of the World Test Championship, will take place from June 29 to July 3 and July 8 to 12 in the seaside city of Galle.

Also Read: WV Raman Thinks That Hardik Pandya Is Emerging As A Potential Leader For India