We Are Trying To Convince Mahela Jayawardene To Take Under-19 Coaching Job - SLC Committee Chairman Aravinda de Silva

Former Sri Lanka batsman and Sri Lanka Cricket’s committee chairman Aravinda de Silva has revealed that that board has approached former batsman and skipper Mahela Jayawardene to take up the job of coaching their under-19 side.

The Sri Lankan senior men’s is struggling direly on the international scene for the past few years. Aravinda de Silva believes that improvement has to be done from the root level, for which he wishes to attain the services of Jayawardene.

He further cited the example of how Rahul Dravid has helped Indian cricket by nurturing youngsters at under-19 and India A levels, and that has paid them great dividends.

Jayawardene has plenty of experience in the coaching department – he was the batting consultant with England in 2015, and has been the head coach of Mumbai Indians since 2016, coaching them to three IPL titles so far.

“Well, I think when he (Rahul Dravid) was appointed as the U-19 coach, I thought India did a good job. Sri Lanka has been trying to convince Mahela Jayawardene to take the U-19 job for a long time but I was not so successful in doing so.

“I think that is where the foundation is and if you lay the foundation right at the U-19 level, it becomes so much easier to really progress from thereon. That’s where I feel you would be able to instil knowledge,” Aravinda de Silva said during a virtual press conference organized by the Sony Network.

“That is where you can truly express themselves, once you have the foundation with someone like Rahul, you all know he is a very disciplined individual. The most important for the U-19 guys is to have their hero as the coach. It is not only the cricket part but there is a lot more than cricket in an individual,” he added.

There is no way you can call any side a second-string: Aravinda de Silva

Aravinda de Silva refuted Arjuna Ranatunga’s comments that the current Indian team in Sri Lanka is a second-string side and that it was an insult on BCCI’s part to send a B-team.

He says that the Shikhar Dhawan-led outfit is a highly talented squad, and indeed, it would be a massive task for Sri Lanka to defeat them. He also explained that in the bio-bubble times it is difficult for a board to put up the best players all the time.

“I personally think any side who would come and make a change and play exciting cricket and India as you know, they have enormous talent. There is no way you can call any side a second string.

“If you look at the current way of handling players, there is a rotational basis all over the world, and players being in the bubble has become very challenging, it is not easy,” the 1996 World Cup winner opined. 

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