'We don't want to prepare wickets just for spinners' - Gary Kirsten calls for hard-working Test pitches in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's head coach Gary Kirsten has emphasised the importance of preparing Test pitches that support both spin and seam bowling. During the recent India-Sri Lanka Test series, the surfaces presented a balanced challenge to both teams, with seamers claiming 24 of 67 total bowler wickets across the matches. Kirsten's comments reflect his vision for developing a well-rounded cricket team capable of winning in varied conditions.

Kirsten expressed his philosophy on pitch preparation during discussions following the series. He highlighted that the two Test wickets used in the series were constructed with the right balance in mind, allowing for competitive cricket across all five days. Both matches extended to the fifth day, demonstrating the quality and challenge of the surfaces.

"I'm a big fan of making sure that we don't prepare wickets just for spinners. We want to prepare wickets where we can win games with our seamers as well. That's how you develop a cricket team - playing in all conditions. I was very impressed with the two wickets that were prepared for the Test series. They were hard-working Test wickets - not straightaway result wickets," said Kirsten as quoted by Cricinfo.

"We wanted our batters to be able to bat. Spinners have to work hard, and seamers are in the game. In the second innings at Galle, our seamers took seven of the ten wickets. I'm very encouraged that our seamers are in the game, and I certainly want to develop that more," he added.

Seam-bowling depth remains a challenge

Asitha Fernando emerged as Sri Lanka's standout seamer during the series, taking 10 dismissals at an average of 20 and finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker overall. Kirsten acknowledged Fernando's exceptional performance and the quality of his bowling throughout the matches. However, the head coach recognised that Sri Lanka cannot rely solely on one seamer to deliver results in Test cricket.

Lahiru Kumara, Sri Lanka's other pace bowler, took three wickets at an average of 57.33 in the series, highlighting the gap in seam-bowling support. Kirsten indicated that developing depth in the fast-bowling department would be a priority moving forward.

"He's a world-class bowler, and he's been bowling really well this series. He's been on top of his game. But we do need more assistance for him - we can't just rely on him. That's something we're going to spend a lot of time working on is just understanding how we can get 20 wickets and not just rely on spin," said Kirsten.

Sonal Dinusha provided one of the series' most memorable performances, scoring three hundreds across the two matches. His second-innings hundred at Galle came on the fourth and fifth days in a following-on situation, demonstrating exceptional skill and determination. Kirsten described this innings as a historic achievement in Sri Lankan Test cricket.

"This innings, what he was able to achieve on day four and day five, I would say [it] would go down in Sri Lankan Test cricket history as one of the great saves. Forget the fact that he got a hundred in the first innings as well and was able to do this. I think it was a great example to a lot of cricketers in the country as to what you can do at Test match level against a really good bowling attack, following on in a tough situation," said Kirsten.

"I think it's never easy batting at six in a team because often you come in under pressure. What I was encouraged by was when I watched him in the West Indies, I saw that he really thrives in the tough situations. I love the way he plays Test cricket. He thinks about it. He plays to his strengths and he is a smart cricketer. He understands what the bowlers are trying to do to him and then he uses his skill sets to negate that," he added.