Coach Pothas blames it on Sri Lanka batsmen

After Sri Lanka’s heaviest Test defeat ever, the interim coach said there would have to be repercussions. 

The Sri Lankan batsmen scored 61 percent of the total in boundaries. “When the percentage of your score is so high in boundaries against a high-quality attack , you are going to get into a lot of trouble,” said Pothas. “India scored 610 and their boundary percentage was 37. We are talking about the top batters in the world. If 37% is good enough for them, then it sure should be good enough for us.” 

Pothas made it very clear that the batsmen were not playing to a plan and that the blame for the way things panned out – Sri Lanka was bowled out for 166 in its second innings in just 49.3 overs – lay squarely on them. 

“(It’s) hugely disappointing because of the amount of work that goes in behind the scenes. It’s embarrassing. Players should be embarrassed in their own performances. Practising in the nets means nothing if you don’t go out and put runs on the board.” 

Pothas praised the Indian bowlers, who excelled even though conditions weren’t as helpful. While upset with his batsmen, Pothas showered praise on the Indian bowlers, who managed to excel even though conditions weren’t as helpful as the scoreboard suggested. “They are in that position because they worked for a long time to ensure they got a strong bench,” offered Pothas. “If you are going to be successful at the top of any sport your bench is important and India has a very strong bench. Not only have they got pace but a huge amount of skill.” 

Despite the results, Pothas stressed that playing a side as strong as India twice in six months could only help Sri Lanka in the long run. “I firmly believe that if you play a team like India in such a short space of time, the guys with the right characters will get better into the future,” signed off Pothas.