Execution in middle wasn’t great, but win helps confidence – Perera

A fair share of misfortune has limited Kusal Janith Perera’s opportunities at the international stage. First, he was wrongly accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs – a charge that was later withdrawn by the International Cricket Council, and then a series of hamstring injuries kept him out of the game. It was Perera’s first game on home soil in almost a year with his last game in Sri Lanka – across all formats – coming in early April last year.

“There have been a few injuries in the last several months. Prior to the tournament, I had played a few domestic games and I had done well. So I had confidence going into the first match of the competition and was very happy to do well,” Perera said after the game.

Perera attacked the third over of the innings bowled by Shardul Thakur where he scored 27 runs including five fours and a six and that proved to be a game changer as Sri Lanka chased down the target of 175. “Chasing 175 in T20 cricket is not an easy task. We had to get the maximum in the Power Play overs. I didn’t premeditate to go after the bowling in the third over, but he bowled short and full and I was going to attack him after two balls. That is the T20 game and you have to attack.”

Photo Album: Sri Lanka vs India | Nidahas Trophy 2018 – Match #1

The victory was a moment of celebration for Sri Lankan fans after being hammered by India last year. Virat Kohli’s side completed a six-week tour winning all nine games across the three formats. “We had a decent start today, but we lost a few wickets in the middle order. The execution wasn’t very great in the middle order, but we did quite well in all three departments of the game and it was very satisfying to start off with a win.

“It is good to start off with a win as it helps our confidence. That is the main thing. We are trying to improve every day moving forward,” Perera added.