Dambulla, Aug. 9: Of the 57 ODIs India have played in the last two years, 24 have been against Sri Lanka.
Any more cricket between India and Sri Lanka, and the fans will soon be in a deep slumber. Complaints on overdose have fallen on deaf ears. The number of injuries in the recent past is a clear indicator of unwanted workload for the players. It would probably have helped if at least the opposition varied.
“We have been playing each other quite consistently which means we know each other quite well. It’s always good to play against Sri Lanka because most of the time, it’s free of controversy. New Zealand are a good addition.
“They have been a good one-day side. I think it will be an exciting tournament,” said India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Monday.
The obvious plan is to build a team for the World Cup. With no time to recuperate and players nursing niggles, too many games can be a handicap.
“It’s very difficult to have a cut-off period. Whenever we play, we are expected to win. So it gets tough to give players a rest. If we find a player with a niggle or a problem that can lead to a major injury, we give them a break, like Harbhajan and Gambhir here.
“We are trying to balance it out in a way that we don’t have injuries before the World Cup,” explained Dhoni.
Taking time off is important and Dhoni appreciated the two-day break between games in this series. Switching off from cricket is needed to recharge batteries.
“We will try to have some fun and keep the dressing room atmosphere relaxed. With the amount of games we are playing, it is important do all this. You can’t be thinking only about cricket all through the year,” added Dhoni.
Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss was more forthcoming on the overdose of cricket between the two sides. “It’s been good playing India as they are one of the best teams in the world and it’s good to test ourselves against them. But it will also be nice to play some of the other good teams around the world.
“In the three years that I have been here, we have only played South Africa in one ODI.
“To play England and Australia will be a good experience,” said Bayliss.