ICC World Cup 2019 | I'm close with everyone and I treat everyone the same, states Dimuth Karunaratne
Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne revealed the keys to his successful captaincy and how he bonds the team together by not differentiating between his teammates and treats everyone just the same. He went on to explain the importance of unity and how he operates as a captain.
Dimuth Karunaratne had only played 15 ODIs for his home country in eight years. Hence, when he was named captain of the squad for the World Cup in England over former captains and veterans Thisara Perera, Angelo Matthews and Lasith Malinga, it came as quite a shock to everyone, but so far the move has paid dividends for the team. Though there is a lot to improve as a team on the field, Karunaratne has really showed signs of gelling the team together in a very short span of time, having only captained in five ODIs so far.
“One thing is that I'm close with everyone, and I treat everyone the same. I don't care if they're a senior player or a junior player. There's no one I would ever favour. If someone came brand new into the team today, I'd treat them the same as I would Malinga. I've told everyone to bring me their problems, and I'll treat it as my own problem and find a solution. I try to be a friend to everyone, and build that bond. Whether I'm right or wrong, I think people respect what I say. If someone thinks I'm wrong, they'll say: "Have you thought about this?" I like that, because it's healthy to have those debates. And at least they are listening,” he said when asked how he goes about his captaincy.
“When we were playing New Zealand in the first match, maybe the team wasn't as united as it could have been. But every match since then it's got better,” he skipper added.
He holds team unity in a very high regard, with the values of esprit de corps a crucial factor in his books for achieving any kind of success in what is a team sport. He told ESPNCricinfo why exactly it is so important for him.
“Well, we lost a lot of matches in a stretch. When that happens people are afraid of expressing themselves and their ideas. They're worried that if they tell the captain something and it turns out not to work, then they'll be blamed. But because I treat people the same, I think I get that information from everyone. My job then is to filter that and use what is good. If I have any doubts, I'll quickly call the seniors - not just one of them, but all three - and get their thoughts. By all three I mean Thisara, Mali and Angie. So then I choose the best way forward,” Karunaratne explained.
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