Law heaps praise on fighting Sangakkara

Sangakkara made an unbeaten 133 on the penultimate day of the Test series, and the assistant coach said, “Sangakkara, a man under pressure, showed why he is probably rated the best player in the world currently. He is such a tough character. In two Test matches, India have scored over 600 in the first innings and he has been the man making all the decisions in the middle, so it’s no wonder he hasn’t been scoring too many runs! We are really proud of him to play that innings today under immense pressure. He is the leader, the captain. He wears his heart on his sleeve, he tries his backside off every time he goes out there for Sri Lanka. Today just showed what a classy cricketer he is.

“India are a powerhouse in world cricket and deserve the number one status at the moment. It’s very tough coming here to play India in their own backyard, in their own conditions that they are very used to. We haven’t played as well as we can. India have been all over us at certain times and when they have got on top, they haven’t let us get out.”

The former Australian all-rounder also appeared in awe of Virender Sehwag. “We came here full of aggression, wanting to make a statement,” he said of Sri Lanka’s approach to the final Test, coming into which they trailed 0-1. “The best way to do that is to bat first and put a total on the board. We didn’t make as many as we could and then it may have flattened out, but Sehwag can play that type of innings on a seaming minefield. It seems as if even on a bad day, he gets 200! You sympathise with the bowlers because when Sehwag gets going, you can’t stop him. It doesn’t matter who is bowling at him when he is in that mood.”