Play with the arrogance and abandon of youth: Kumar Sangakkara's mantra to Sri Lanka

Title defenders India started their Champions Trophy 2017 campaign in a dangerous style, dangerous enough to intimidate any opponent team. The very fact that almost all the team members contributed to India’s 124 runs win over arch-rivals Pakistan at the Edgbaston Cricket Stadium on Sunday is what makes the team very strong. Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli regained form, Hardik Pandya was brilliant as an all-rounder, and the bowlers did equally well.

India next plays a young Sri Lanka team on 8th June to confirm their berth in the semi-finals. In the buildup to the game, former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has said that his team must play with arrogance if they are to upset India on Thursday at the Oval.

Sri Lanka didn’t have the start they would have liked in the tournament as they lost to South Africa in their opener and plus, Angelo Matthews is injured. And as if these two reasons weren’t enough to bother the team, stand-in skipper Upul Tharanga was faced with a two-match suspension for the team’s slow over rate in the Proteas defeat.

After already being demoralised so much, beating a team as mighty as the blue brigade will not be an easy task for the Islanders. “I would personally like this young Sri Lanka side to walk out at The Oval and play with the arrogance and abandon of youth,” Sangakkara penned down in his column for the cricket governing body website (www.icc-cricket.com)

Angelo Mathew’s injury a big concern 

“They should express their talent and play a really positive brand of cricket. If they are able to do this, then they have a chance of pulling off an upset, but it will not be easy an India team that so confidently overwhelmed Pakistan on Sunday.”

He further lamented the fact that if Mathews is announced unfit for the clash, the chances of winning will be severely hampered.

“If Angelo, Sri Lanka’s best batsman and captain, is deemed unavailable for this vital clash, it could severely hamper the team’s chances of winning against India,” the former wicketkeeper-batsman added.