
PUNE, March 30: Both captains subscribed to team efforts being a vital factor between victory and defeat after today8217;s one-day international tri-series match between India and Sri Lanka at the Nehru Stadium.
Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga rued team failure in today8217;s reverse while Ajay Jadeja, a sparkling unbeaten century under his belt, modestly pointed to the team as a whole that spelt success.
8220;Yes, it were the two run outs in one over, and the spectacular pick up and throw by Robin Singh Sr which caused our downfall. Nevertheless, the Indians outplayed us,8221; said the Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga. 8220;Our bowlers did a good job in the first 15 overs as they gave away just 60 runs till that stage, but later they could not maintain their line and length,8221; he added. 8220;The newcomer Amay Khurasia played the role of the devil for us, spanking every bowler at his will,8221; stated Ranatunga while also saying that injuries to three main players undermined his team.
8220;They batted and bowled better than us,8221; he said. 8220;But we should not grumble about what has happened today but look forward to the future, especially the World Cup.
To add to the Lankan woes, make-shift bowler Arvind de Silva, known to break big partnerships, was on the injured list. Jadeja will lead the new-look team in their last league match against Pakistan at Mohali on April 1.
Once again emphasising on a team effort, Jadeja said: 8220;It was a decent start. Sri Lanka have not been doing well in the recent past. We played better against them in the last match and were never under pressure. Regarding Amay Khurasia, he said that the newcomer staved off pressure with sensible hitting.8221; Jadeja added: 8220;I look more comfortable playing in the middle-order and I am happy to be back where I belong, 8221; and that he does not rate any of his innings as great including today8217;s century.