'Pressure on India to maintain home run'
India would be under pressure to maintain their record of not losing a single Test to Sri Lanka in their previous 14 encounters at home, reckons Lan-kan captain Kumar Sangakkara.
Sangakkara said he and his team-mates would do everything to break the jinx.
“We have to wait and see how India comes out of this loss (against Australia), especially at home. We are under no pressure. We have not won a Test here before and we are here to change things. The pressure is on India to keep their home series record intact,” Sangakkara said on Sunday.
Sangakkara said the Lankan new ball attack may be inexperienced, but that may turn out to be an advantage. “Sometimes inexperience is good. Maybe the Indian batsmen have not played our fast bowlers regularly in the longer format.
“It’s good to have some experience when you come to a country like India. But sometimes a fresh perspective, enthusiasm and right attitude will also be an added bonus,” said the Lanka captain.
Sangakkara maintained that there was no mystery left in world cricket. “Words like mystery are exaggerated. You are a mystery only in your first series with the sort of video analysis available. You have to work harder later on,” the left-hander said.
Lankan mystery bowler Ajantha Mendis had troubled most of the top Indian batsmen when the last series between the two outfits was held in the Emerald Island.
‘Greatest player of modern era’
Sangakkara lavished praise on Sachin Tendulkar, who will be completing 20 years in international cricket on November 15, calling him the greatest player of the modern era, reports PTI. “He has been brilliant. To have survived the tough test of public expectation in India is something should be commended. The runs are an added bonus. He’s probably the greatest player to play the game in the modern era and compares with the (Donald) Bradmans and all the legends of the past.”
