Sri Lanka Cricket chief Thilanga Sumathipala has all but drawn a parallel between India-Sri Lanka contests and the historic Ashes series between England and Australia.
Sumathipala feels that Sri Lanka should be playing even more often with India than they already are. In the last 10 years, the two teams have 62 One-Day Internationals, 15 Twenty20 Internationals and 12 Tests. played 12 Tests, 15 T20s and a staggering 62 ODIs, according to a report in the Hindustan Times. In the last nine months, the two teams have played six Tests, eight ODIs and four T20Is.
However, this wasn’t enough for Sumathipala. “Australia is playing England in the Ashes many times,” he told the daily on the sidelines of the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka, which also features India and Bangladesh.
“[Australia and England] play five Tests. So, we feel we should play more with India. They are the No 1 side. Except this tournament, all were bilateral series agreed by the Future Tours Programme. It sometimes happens that teams play each other frequently while some don’t play for 6-7 years due to FTP pressures,” he added.
Despite clashing so frequently, India-Sri Lanka contests have mostly been one-sided contests in recent years. When India toured Sri Lanka last year, Virat Kohli’s team whitewashed Sri Lanka 3-0 in Tests, 5-0 in ODIs and 1-0 in the T20Is. On the return tour in India, Sri Lanka again lost the Test series 0-1, the ODIs 1-2 and the T20Is 0-3.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!