Rangana Herath, a famous cricketer from Sri Lanka, played two Test series in India but had a tough time. Out of five matches, two ended in draws, and Sri Lanka lost three by an innings. Since 1982, Sri Lanka has played 22 Test matches in India, winning only 9 and losing 13. Despite having similar pitches, Sri Lanka has struggled to compete in India—this is a mystery.
However, under new captain Tom Latham, New Zealand achieved an incredible feat by beating India 3-0 in a Test series in India. This was India’s first series loss at home in 12 years and the first time they were swept in a long series.
Herath served as a spin consultant for New Zealand during this tour after previously losing 0-2 against Sri Lanka. He was thrilled to see the Kiwi bowlers perform well, especially spin bowlers Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel, in areas like Pune and Mumbai. Herath, who retired in November 2018 with 433 wickets, is the only left-arm bowler to take over 400 Test wickets. He began performing brilliantly only after Muttiah Muralitharan, another Sri Lankan great, retired in 2010.
Reflecting on New Zealand’s success in India, Herath said, “Winning a series 3-0 in their soil is very special.” He noted that they focused on the challenges of the game rather than just winning and that hard work paid off when they bowled India out for just 46 runs in the first Test. Instead of looking at the overall series, they took it one game at a time, which was key to their victory.
Herath believes that the experience of losing in Sri Lanka helped New Zealand understand how to bowl on subcontinental pitches. He has great respect for R Ashwin, the recently retired Indian spinner, praising his brilliant career.
Now, with Ashwin gone, the pressure shifts to Ravindra Jadeja, another left-arm spinner. Although both are left-arm spinners, they have different styles; Herath relies on flight and drift, while Jadeja focuses on speed and accuracy.
Even during his breaks, Herath enjoys coaching and admires the talented spinners in Australia. He believes that Nathan Lyon, an Australian off-spinner, has achieved great success by relying on accuracy rather than fancy tricks.
Finally, Herath is proud of Sri Lanka’s recent performances and their chance to make it to the World Test Championship final. He credits this turnaround to former captain Sanath Jayasuriya, who has been guiding the players to make smart decisions. Herath feels that with this newfound confidence, Sri Lanka can perform well in their upcoming matches.
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