Our top-order batting cost us the game, says Kirsten
Cricket coach Gary Kirsten attributed Sri Lanka’s Test outcome to top-order batting issues even as the team showed resilience to reach the fifth day.
GS1The HinduGS1Cricket/Test match analysisSports coaching strategyGary Kirsten
What happened (as described by Gary Kirsten)
Gary Kirsten, Sri Lanka’s Test coach, reflected on a Test match outcome by separating two strands: Sri Lanka’s ability to remain in the contest and an issue he believed decided the result.
Kirsten said Sri Lanka showed fight by moving the Test into the fifth day. He also pointed to a key checkpoint in the match timeline: Sri Lanka was reportedly 90 for five on the third day, and later continued long enough to reach the fifth day.
Despite that resilience, Kirsten argued that Sri Lanka’s top-order batting “likely cost” the match, meaning the early batting phase undermined Sri Lanka’s chances even as the rest of the match stayed competitive.
Opposing view and individual contributions praised
Kirsten praised Devdutt Padikkal on the opposing side. He described Padikkal’s innings as among the better Test innings he had seen, stressing that Padikkal batted “within himself” instead of being excessively aggressive.
