Sanath Jayasuriya appointed as interim head coach of Sri Lanka ahead of series against India

Sanath Jayasuriya will replace Chris Silverwood as Sri Lanka’s head coach just before the white-ball series against India. Jayasuriya, the interim head coach, steps in after Silverwood parted ways with the team following a disappointing ICC T20 World Cup.

Sri Lanka will play three T20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals (ODIs) against India, starting from July 27. At the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka managed to win only one match, beating the Netherlands. They finished third in their group, behind South Africa and Bangladesh.

Jayasuriya takes over as head coach

Sanath Jayasuriya has been appointed as Sri Lanka's interim Head Coach. (Espncricinfo). pic.twitter.com/Ju718URByd

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 8, 2024

Silverwood, who became head coach in April 2022, had an early success by leading Sri Lanka to victory in the T20 Asia Cup the same year. He also took the team to the final of the 50-over Asia Cup against India last year.

Jayasuriya’s impressive playing career

Jayasuriya is one of the most attacking batters in cricket history. Between 1991 and 2007, he played 110 Tests, scoring 6,973 runs at an average of 40.07, including 14 centuries and 31 fifties. In ODIs, he scored 13,430 runs at an average of 32.36 over 445 matches. Jayasuriya played a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s victory in the 1996 ODI World Cup.

Now, Jayasuriya is ready to lead the Sri Lankan team as head coach. Fans are hopeful that his experience and aggressive playing style will inspire the team to perform well against India. The upcoming series promises to be exciting, as two of Asia’s cricket giants face off.