All-rounder Thisara Perera has named as Sri Lanka's ODI and T20 captain for the upcoming series against India and will lead the side in the three ODIs and three Twenty20 matches beginning December 10 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPA) Stadium, Dharamsala.
Perera will take over the captaincy from Upul Tharanga who suffered three 5-0 whitewashes against South Africa, Pakistan and India this year.
Tharanga had stepped in for the injured Angelo Mathews in South Africa, where Sri Lanka was whitewashed. After Mathews stepped down following a shocking defeat at the hands of Zimbabwe at home, Tharanga was named the captain.
The 28-year-old Perera becomes the 22nd ODI captain and he has appeared in a total of 125 ODIs for Lanka, with a formidable strike-rate of 109. As a bowler, he has bagged a total of 133 wickets at an average of 32.62 apiece.
“I’m expecting to give my highest contribution to my motherland and I hope my teammates will give their fullest support to me. I accept the Indian team is a very strong team but our players also very talented. We can beat India showing skills of our players,” said Perera at a media briefing held at SLC yesterday.
“The Selection Board has appointed me as captain only for the upcoming series and my aim is to beat India,” he said.
Speaking on the appointment of Perera as ODI captain, chairman of selectors Graeme Labrooy stated: "We are keen to implement our selection policy across the board in all aspects of the game, and Thisara's appointment is one such move. We believe this is the leadership skill set the team needs right now, and have made this decision specifically with our long term goals in mind.
"Quite contrary to the baseless speculation on social media sites, Tharanga has not failed us in anyway, we want him to keep making big scores and want him to concentrate on his game without burdening him with the captaincy. This is merely a strategic move, and we have discussed it with Tharanga too. Being the 100% team player he is, he understands our reasoning and requirement," Labrooy said.
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