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Sri Lanka head coach Mickey Arthur feels that his young and inexperienced squad is improving constantly. The Lions endured a 2-1 defeat in the ODI series against India and will next face the visitors in a three-match T20I series as well.
The team couldn't have headed into the series on a worse note. They had been whitewashed across two formats in England and were staring at a similar fate against India. While being outplayed in the first ODI, Sri Lanka presented their case in the subsequent fixtures.
Team India were in knee-deep trouble in the second ODI and required a masterful rescue from Deepak Chahar to get over the line. In the final match, Sri Lanka cranked up their performance across all three departments to avoid a whitewash.
The hosts coasted to victory after a middle order collapse in the first innings, following a brief intervention by rain. They were able to scale the target and win the contest by three wickets.
Mickey Arthur feels that his team's growing confidence with each win will reap rewards in the near future. The country is currently aiming to climb upwards in the ODI Super League to ensure direct qualification for the 2023 World Cup.
Speaking during a virtual press conference ahead of the first T20I, Mickey Arthur said:
"The growth I have seen in these players has been fantastic and the growth comes from giving them confidence and giving them that consistency that they are going to play. We will see the rewards of that in the future for sure,"
Mickey Arthur lauds the work ethic of the players
It was Sri Lanka's work ethic that earned them the win in the final ODI, believes Mickey Arthur, who took up coaching responsibilities in February 2020.
Despite the plaudits, however, the coach believes the team needs more depth in their middle order batting. He said:
"For numerous reasons, we never seem to put our best batting lineup out there. It is about creating depth for me, but also trying to be consistent. Giving guys clear roles but then allowing them to go out and play with freedom. We saw a really good example of that in Charith (Asalanka) the other night."
Sri Lanka will lock horns with India again in the T20 series at the R. Premadasa Stadium starting Sunday (July 25).
