Sri Lanka vs India: Arjuna Ranatunga slams SLC for hosting second-string team

Shikhar Dhawan is the skipper for India during the team's tour to Sri Lanka which begins on July 13.

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Arjuna Ranatunga
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Arjuna Ranatunga. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga has come down hard on his country’s board for conducting a series against not a full-strength India side. The Men in Blue’s first-choice players are away in England and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials had to name a second-string squad for the team’s limited-overs tour starting on July 13.

Ranatunga is not happy with the fact and termed this as an insult to the Sri Lankan team. Shikhar Dhawan is the captain of the squad, which boasts of six uncapped players. The Indian team arrived in Sri Lanka and are currently undergoing quarantine. On the other hand, the island nation suffered yet another T20I and ODI series defeat against England.

The former Southpaw feels that the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) should not have accepted the offer to host the white-ball series against a B-side. “This is a second-string Indian team and their coming here is an insult on our cricket. I blame the current administration for agreeing to play with them due to television marketing needs,” Ranatunga, a government minister until two years ago, told Time of India.

India’s Test tour of England will begin on August 4. The series is part of the World Test Championship Cycle and the BCCI has sent in the best team to face a quality-looking England side at home.

Arjuna Ranatunga reckons lack of discipline causing Sri Lankan team to perform well

“India sent their best team to England and sent a weaker side to play here. I blame our board for that,” added the legendary batter, who was the captain when Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup.

Sri Lanka’s fifth straight loss in the T20 format against England has triggered a severe backlash among fans, experts, and critics. That the team went down even without giving a fight against a B-looking England side was what irked the followers and supporters of the Lankan team.

Ranatunga feels that lack of discipline and the administration not managing the situation well was what he felt is the cause of the team playing poor cricket in the past two years. He concluded by saying that an interim committee should need to put to manage SLC at the moment.

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