Upul Tharanga will captain Sri Lanka against India. (Source: File)
A wounded and depleted Sri Lanka have recalled all rounders Thisara Perera and Milinda Siriwardana into their squad for the upcoming five match ODI series against India that begins on August 20. Sri Lanka were spanked by 304 runs, innings and 53 runs and an innings and 171 runs in the three Test matches played to resume the tour.
Also included in the squad and setup are left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara and the left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando who played in the Test series but are yet to make their ODI debuts.
Going out of the squad are a host of players who are suffering from injuries with Nuwan Pradeep (hamstring) and Asela Gunaratne (thumb) the pick of the lot. There was also no place in the squad for Asitha Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekara and Lahiru Kumara who had played in the ODI series against Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka had lost that series 2-3 to give Zimbabwe their first series win in eight years.
Upul Tharanga will captain the 15-man squad and has called for support from the fans. “Every team goes through a rough patch,” he said. “This is something that happens in cycles to every team and every nation no matter how great a cricketing nation they are. The support of our fans plays a big role in lifting the morale of the team.”
“We play for our country and our goal is to bring pride to our family of 20 million in this nation – so your support is something that matters greatly to us,” Tharanga added.
Tharanga took over as captain following the resignation of Angelo Mathews after a disappointing ICC Champions Trophy campaign and the defeat to Zimbabwe.
