I have picked the best for the future â Hathurusingha
Will the Sri Lanka stint be the Waterloo of his remarkable coaching career? Or else, will he be able to guide the struggling Lankans out of the woods? Itâs too early to make predictions.
Anyway, Sri Lankaâs most talked-about cricket coach has designed his own plan, irrespective of all the criticism, and the expectations. Here is how Chandika Hathurusingha, probably one of the most sought-after cricket coaches of our times, airs his views on the challenges before the future of Sri Lankan cricket.
Excerpts follow:
On your preparations for this West Indies tour:
When we arrived here, the West Indies were already behind our rankings. Before coming, we knew that they are giving us fast tracks. We were prepared for this challenge in Sri Lanka and that became useful. We improved by every Test. The Kensington Oval wicket (where the last Test was held) is one of the fastest in the world. The âDukeâ pink ball also assists the pacies.
There were huge expectations when you took over the job. But the team is yet to fall on the right track. Youâve lost a tri-series at home as well.
Itâs only six months since I came. Weâve won only one series so far. That was beating Bangladesh away from home. Then we lost a series at home. Iâve told the players the first thing is to stop losing at home. The good sides lose at home very rarely. We should do the forthcoming South Africa and England home series well. Then the atmosphere to win overseas can be created. I think, by mid next year weâll be in a fare position.
Sri Lanka is hampered severely by the injury plague.
We struggle heavily in this tour due to injuries. Rangana Herath, Nuwan Pradeep and Dushmantha Chameera suffered injuries. But theyâll come back to the side. In spite of this, we need to go forward.
In this respect, we need to manage our players well. Lahiru Kumarais is 22 but he bowls regularly at 145kmph. So, we wonât play him regularly in the domestic matches. Itâs essential to manage the players before they start having an injury.
What is the purpose of having more than 15 players in the squad when youâre on tour?
We need to give exposure to the youngsters. We brought Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando and Dasun Shanaka not essentially to play but to give them top-level international exposure. We allow them to be with the team in the same dressing room, particularly at pressure situations. I did the same thing when I coached in Australia and Bangladesh. Some of the players who travelled early with the Bangladesh team are now doing well for them. Itâs an investment for the future.
Youâre part of the selection process too. What changes have you introduced into the selection procedure?
I have a saying at selecting the squad as well as the playing eleven. Earlier our selections were too much dependent on the player statistics. Weâve introduced a change. Now we look into other aspects as well. You canât keep on changing the players saying the side is on a transition. Consistency is something very essential. Thatâs why Iâve picked a 25-member pool aiming at all three formats. Letâs see how it goes when we approach the next World Cup! It doesnât mean that these are the only players who are to play for Sri Lanka in the next ten years or so. There are ones who can go on for five or ten years. And we should not drop a player after giving him just a couple of games. In the meantime, weâre keeping an eye on the best players emerging from our domestic circuit as well.
Youâre different from other coaches. You demand your assistants and not willing to coach if those demands are not met. Why?
If Iâm given a job, things should happen in my way. Otherwise how can I take the responsibility? If Iâm to go to war, I need the arms. If Iâm to coach with ones who are here because someone else wanted it, then that someone can coach. Not me.
How did âChandika Hathurusinghaâ become a much talked-about coach?
I work in my own way. I always had an open mind as to how todayâs game is played and how I should improve in my job. I always wanted to do a new thing. I didnât go on doing the same thing on and on. I donât have a set batting or bowling order for matches. Theyâre always changed according to match situations. This will be the same in future too.
You coached Bangladesh against your mother country which you represented with pride some time ago. You coached them to beat Sri Lanka at a venue which was your own club. How did one do like that?
Iâm not an emotional person. Iâm paid for a job. I consider this as a profession. If I am to do my job well, I should do it for my team. Not the opposition.
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