SL vs NZ | Batting got easier once the ball got old, reveals Dimuth Karunaratne
Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, who struck a classy century in the fourth innings to guide his team to victory against New Zealand, has revealed that batting became easier once the ball got soft and old. Karunaratne's ninth Test century helped his team take a 1-0 lead against the Kiwis.
Dimuth Karunaratne once again proved that he was the right man to lead Sri Lanka forward in the years to come as he led from the front with a sublime 122 to guide his team to a six-wicket win against New Zealand in the first Test in Galle.
Reflecting on the victory, Man of the Match Karunaratne revealed that it had gotten easier to bat once the ball got older, while also lauding the bowlers for their efforts which saw them bowl New Zealand out for just 249 runs in the first innings of the match.
"After losing the toss, the bowlers did a great job to restrict them to 249. When the ball was hard, it was turning and bouncing, but once it got old, batting became easier," the Lankan skipper said in the post-match press presentation, reported News18.
He also said that both himself and his partner Lahiru Thirimanne realized the importance of a good opening stand, knowing it is never easy to bat last in Test matches. Chasing a hefty target of 268 in the fourth innings, Sri Lanka got off to the perfect start as Karunaratne along with Thirimanne put on a 161-run stand for the first wicket to set the tone for the chase.
"It was not easy to bat in the fourth innings. We wanted a good partnership and that's what me and Thirimanne discussed. Once you get set, you got to finish the job. We saw (Ross) Taylor and (B.J.) Watling bat on this pitch. So we were saying it's not too dangerous, we just have to spend some time in the middle," Karunaratne said.
The victory also marks Sri Lanka's third consecutive successful fourth-innings chase in Tests, after previously having beaten South Africa 2-0 in their own backyard during the turn of the year. The second and the final Test will commence on August 22nd at P Sara Oval, Colombo.
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