Cricket

Ranatunga slams Indian T20 approach

Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lankan captain, has criticised India’s batsmen for playing in the Twenty20 mode and said they lacked focus.

“The way the Indians have played this Test is an eye-opener not just for us but for all cricket-playing countries,” he told news reporters. “They dealt with this like a Twenty20 game. I think they were not prepared for Test cricket.” He was speaking after India were bowled out twice in about four sessions of play, with the Sri Lankan spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis sharing 19 wickets.

Ranatunga wanted India to focus more on Tests than on Twenty20s. “If the Indians keep getting their priorities wrong, they will go down ranking-wise. Ultimately, it is the rank that is very important,” he said. “And it is this performance that will determine the future of the game in your country. Focusing on the Twenty20 game is a short-term thing. If the game is not protected, we are in for a major disaster.

“The Indian batsmen aren’t too focussed. That is something that can creep into our cricket. That is something I don’t want to happen,” he said.

Tags: Arjuna Ranatunga, Idea Cup 2008, India, sri lanka