Sanath Jayasuriya reveals Lasith Malinga, Kumar Sangakkara's huge roles in Sri Lanka's historic ODI series win over India

Sri Lanka’s interim coach Sanath Jayasuriya revealed that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) connection helped his team secure an ODI series win against the Indian team. Sanath Jayasuriya thanked his former teammates, Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga, for their support during the recently concluded series.

Chris Silverwood resigned following a disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, where Sri Lanka failed to advance to the Super 8 stage. Sanath Jayasuriya took over as interim head coach ahead of the India series. The home team lost the T20I series 3-0 against the Suryakumar Yadav-led side last month.

However, the Charith Asalanka-led team turned things around in the three-match ODI series. The first match between India and Sri Lanka ended in a tie. The tourists failed to score runs against Sri Lankan spinners in the last two games. The Lankans won the two matches and sealed the series victory over India.

Special Thank You To Sanga And Lasith - Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya said that Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga supported and motivated the cricketers throughout the series. Jayasuriya highlighted that their contributions were invaluable to the Sri Lankan team.

“Special thank you to Sanga and Lasith for the support and for motivating the team and support staff. Your contribution was invaluable to us,” Jayasuriya posted on microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter).

Special thank you to Sanga and Lasith Malinga for the support and for motivating the team and support staff. Your contribution was invaluable to us

— Sanath Jayasuriya (@Sanath07) August 8, 2024

Lasith Malinga was reportedly actively involved in guiding Sri Lankan bowlers through Zoom calls. Malinga discussed strategies throughout the series. Kumar Sangakkara also played a key role in assembling critical elements that contributed to Sri Lanka's victory over India, as per sports journalist Rex Clementine.

"Apparently, Lasith Malinga has been chatting to Sri Lanka bowlers on a daily basis via zoom discussing bowling plans throughout the Indian series. Credit to Kumar Sangakkara too for connecting some key components that were vital in series win over world’s number one ranked India," Rex Clementine wrote.

Apparently, Lasith Malinga has been chatting to Sri Lanka bowlers on a daily basis via zoom discussing bowling plans throughout the Indian series. Credit to Kumar Sangakkara too for connecting some key components that were vital in series win over world’s number one ranked India.

— Rex Clementine (@RexClementine) August 8, 2024

We Learnt A Lot - Sanath Jayasuriya

During his post-match interview with the official broadcaster, Sanath Jayasuriya said that the seven-day program led by Zubin Bharucha from the Rajasthan Royals helped Sri Lankan players. Jayasuriya stated that it helped the batters learn to play long innings.

"I got Zubin [Bharucha] from Rajasthan Royals and he came and did a seven day coaching programme. We learnt a lot, the players learnt a lot on how to bat long innings, and one batsman was batting 2-3 hours. That gave the batters a lot of confidence,” Jayasuriya said.

Zubin Bharucha, who played with legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli in the 1990s, is known for his rigorous training methods. Kumar Sangakkara introduced Bharucha to the Sri Lanka team ahead of the recent whiteball series against India. Bharucha conducted a six-day training camp from July 18-24.

The Sri Lankan team will next face England in a three-match Test series in away conditions. All-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva will continue to lead the national team in the longer format of the game. They will be hoping to beat England and gain some crucial points in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 table.

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