We’re favourites, but can’t be complacent - Jayasuriya | Mauler's Notes IPL 2010

After two years we’ve reached an IPL final and everyone in the franchise is determined we top six fantastic weeks with the winners’ crown. There is a lot of confidence in the squad, and we now hold our destiny in our own hands.

If we play with the commitment, discipline, intelligence and skill that has been the hallmark of our cricket this season, we should win. We deserve the favourites tag by virtue of our performance and we should be proud of that. However, we can’t afford to be complacent. In T20 cricket everything rests on performance.

You can have the best team with the most in-form players on any given day, yet you can lose if you don’t perform. We all realise this.

 

- SANATH JAYASURIYA

Sachin will be tempted to play Jayasuriya

With the semi-final line up ready, it boils down to have one bad game to crash out of the tournament and the team that overcomes the fear of failure, will end on the winning side. Bangalore and Mumbai have had chequered fortunes leading into the semi-finals. While Mumbai have been consistent and surging ahead riding on the supreme form of Sachin Tendulkar with the bat, same does apply in case of others From a Mumbai Indian standpoint, the inexperience in the middle order and the fickle form of JP Duminy and Keiron Pollard will give aggravate the anxiety of skipper Tendulkar, while Shikhar Dhawan has thorn his wicket after getting decent starts.

Skipper Tendulkar might just be tempted to unleash Sanath Jayasuriya, apart from winning the match single-handedly on his day; he also offers slow left arm spin to make scoring difficult for the batsman. A good tight spell in the middle overs might just be the difference between winning and loosing, given his vast experience at the international level.

Hope playing in Mumbai will work to our advantage- Jayasuriya | Mauler's Notes IPL 2010

After two seasons of underperforming, we were all determined to reach the semifinals of IPL 3. All the hard work and commitment has paid off and now we have a chance to go all the way. During the past few weeks we’ve played some topclass cricket and no one can deny that we deserve to be in the top four. We are really confident and we believe we have what it takes to beat Bangalore on Wednesday evening.

It’s important for us now to enjoy ourselves. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to play several big semi-finals and finals for Sri Lanka and we’ve always believed that we need to have fun. There is no point in putting pressure on ourselves. We need to express ourselves fully and play our natural game.

There is so much talent in this Mumbai Indians team and we need to trust ourselves, and each other, to perform.One other reason we have to be confident is our team spirit and unity. Unlike some franchises who have struggled to gel this season, we are like a family.

Everyone is committed to the team. That is very important. This is something that has been strength of Sri Lanka for a long time. It is one of reasons why we have often beaten higher profile teams. If you are all pulling in one direction and if you are all crystal clear about your team role, winning is easier. Our confidence, however, should not allow us to be complacent. Bangalore are a very strong side with some extremely dangerous players within their ranks and we will need to be at our very best.

Hopefully, the change in venue will work to our advantage. They’ll be disappointed to not be playing at home as expected on a pitch tailor-made for their attack and in front of a boisterous home crowd. History suggests that we can expect an excellent pitch with possibly some spin. I am sure the batsmen will be able to play their strokes and we should be in for an entertaining contest.

 

- SANATH JAYASURIYA

I’m keen to mark my return with big score - Jayasuriya | Mauler's Notes IPL 2010

OUR Sunday night win against Rajasthan has all but guaranteed our place in the semi-finals, but this Twenty20 format is all about momentum. We are determined to keep winning so we are in the best shape possible come next week’s knock-out phase.

Nevertheless we can allow ourselves some satisfaction for a job well done so far. After two disappointing years we’ve really bounced back this year and played some topclass cricket. We’ve played as a unit and all three facets of the game have gelled.

Having put together a good total, our bowlers have been the best in the tournament. Against Rajasthan we were really clinical. The fast bowlers were terrific up front, especially Zaheer in his first spell. The fielding was also good with catches sticking and a couple of run outs.

On a personal note it was really disappointing to not get a start against Rajasthan. I had been really looking forward to getting a chance back in the playing XI and I was desperate to mark my return with a big score. Hopefully, if I play, that score will come on Tuesday. If we play to our potential, we’ll be difficult to beat at home.

 

- SANATH JAYASURIYA

Jayasuriya back in the Mumbai Indians' squad

Jayasuriya casts his vote a day ahead of elections

Apr 07, Matara: Sri Lanka cricketer and ruling party candidate for Matara District, Sanath Jayasuriya cast his vote for the General Elections in Matara today (7) after receiving special permission from the Elections Commissioner.

He cast his vote a day before the general election, as he has to travel overseas to participate in the IPL cricket tournament.

Jayasuriya cast a postal vote at the Matara District Secretary's office. Under Clause 20C of the Parliamentary Elections Act, the vote would be considered a postal vote.

Sanath’s has been an unbelievable story - Mahela Jayawardene

With 9,120 runs in Tests and 8,702 in ODIs, Mahela Jayawardene is pretty qualified to talk about the two batsmen who’ve recently completed 20 years at the international level — Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya.

He has, in fact, been in the same dressing room with one and competed against the other.

Over breakfast at the Mount View Hotel, on Saturday, Jayawardene (a former national captain) spoke to The Telegraph on the giants. Sanath has, of course, retired from Test cricket.

For the record, Jayawardene has himself been around, at the highest level, for 13 years. In the ongoing IPL, he’s turning out for the Kings XI Punjab, captained by his Sri Lanka successor Kumar Sangakkara.

The following are excerpts

Thoughts on Sachin (36) and Sanath (40): Their records do all the talking... I don’t have to speak about the quality of their achievements, the world knows everything... What stands out is that they’ve been around for 20 years... To sustain the intensity for such a long period is amazing... They’ve been disciplined, they’ve been committed and they’ve been passionate. They’ve shown all the qualities of a champion sportsman.

On Sanath: He’s one of those unbelievable stories... Sanath emerged from a region (Matara) which hadn’t produced a really big name, came to Colombo and went about proving a point... Nobody before him came from way down south with such ambitions... Sanath established himself at a time our cricket was turning a page, getting away from the traditional way of playing the game... After the 1996 World Cup, thanks to the way Sanath and (Romesh) Kaluwitharana went about the first 15 overs, teams had to change strategy... Sanath didn’t change his game, rather every opposition had to plot differently... He helped us build our identity and didn’t listen to those who wanted him to change his approach... He had the confidence to deliver on his terms.

Sanath’s USP: Fitness, confidence... We aren’t surprised that Sanath has decided to contest the upcoming Parliamentary elections... He has, after all, the aura... This is a new challenge for him and he’s bound to be supremely confident... Sanath believes he can do anything and, who knows, may one day become Sri Lanka’s President! It’s difficult to stop somebody with such self-belief and so much confidence. Sanath has achieved everything in cricket, now he has set himself a different goal...

[In 110 Tests, Sanath finished with 6,973 runs and 14 hundreds; in 444 ODIs, he has 13,428 runs with 28 hundreds.]

On there being much to learn from Sachin and Sanath

Yes... Commitment, discipline and confidence... Both have been tops in commitment, have been most disciplined and have always been supremely confident... They’ve believed in a certain way of doing things and have backed themselves... Those with big dreams need to emulate what I’ve listed. Clearly, you can’t have better role models.

Finally, if he had a son, whether he would make him bat like Sachin or Sanath

(Laughs) No... I’ll tell you why... I believe it’s important to have your own identity. Sure, if I had a son, I’d like him to look up to Sachin and Sanath, but I’d also most definitely like him to be himself... To carve his own identity... If you try copying others, there’s every chance you could lose your way... Draw inspiration, but be yourself... Build on your identity... That, for me, is the only way forward...

(Source)

Unity is our team strength - Sanath Jayasuriya | Mauler's Notes IPL 2010

 

- SANATH JAYASURIYA

OUR seven-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers on Saturday night was obviously disappointing, but we just have to dust ourselves down, learn what we can from the loss and focus on our next challenge: a very tough game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday.

The beauty about this Mumbai Indians team is that we are very close. It’s like a family this year with everyone united. We are all supporting each other and we’re all focused on the team’s goals. That is very important when you are playing in a competition like this.

The big turning point in our defeat to the Royal Challengers was that disastrous 11th over of the innings when we lost Rayudu, Sachin and Bravo, slumping from 74 for three to 76 for six. We’d also struggled a little bit at the start of the innings with me departing early. So it was a shame that I could not stay with Sachin and build a big opening partnership.

Sanath knows what is good for him - Robin Singh

The poor form of Sanath Jayasuriya notwithstanding, Mumbai Indians coach Robin Singh today threw his weight behind the Sri Lankan and said he would soon bounce back and rediscover the lost rythm.

"Sanath is a seasoned cricketer and he knows what is best for him. It is a question of getting him motivated to play his role," Singh told reporters ahead of encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders here tomorrow.

The Matara marauder has got out cheaply scoring 23, 7 and 2 in his team's previous three matches.

Terming the shot selection of the batsmen against Royal Challengers Bangalore as bad, Singh hoped that the team will be more careful with the choice of their shots in the next game.

"I think we were just bad. I hope the guys will be more focused and probably be more careful about shot selection," he said.
Asked whether the team had any plans for Chris Gayle, Singh said, "Not really thought about it, we are just focusing on what we want to do and what team we want to play."

"(It) hardly matters (how big a hitter Gayle is). There are many big hitters in the tournament," he added.

(Source)