Asalanka opens up after leading Sri Lanka to historic ODI series win over India

Charith Asalanka's first stint as Sri Lanka's T20I captain didn't go well, but his appointment as the ODI captain has yielded immediate results, with Sri Lanka winning a series against India for the first time in nearly 30 years.

"After Pallekele I was very dejected," Asalanka, speaking after Sri Lanka's 110-run win in the third ODI, said of the 3-0 loss in the T20I series.

"As a captain and a player, I'm desperate to win for the country. Today I'm so happy we were able to win a series. Having lost 3-0 in the T20s, we defeated an even stronger team in the ODIs. I'm happy with the way everyone in the team played."

Asalanka praised his spinners for restraining India's middle order and highlighted the top order's performance throughout the series. Winning the toss in all three matches and posting good totals was also key.

"The biggest positive was winning a series against India after 27 years. The other positives were the spinners," Asalanka said. "We had relied on Wanindu Hasaranga, but we've had [Jeffrey] Vandersay and Dunith [Wellalage] playing well here too. Also the top order batted well through the series. On difficult pitches like this, that's a big plus point."

"Until the ball gets a little older, it's easier to bat, and it takes less spin. What we planned was for someone in the top order to get a big score, and for others around him to play around him and get a good score.

"Today that was really successful, as Avishka Fernando got to 96, which isn't easy on a pitch like this. But the coaching staff and me as the captain gave that challenge to the batsmen, including me. If you look through the series the middle order was a little hit and miss, but the top order was successful, so we were able to get to those targets," said Asalanka.

"The more games we play the more experience we get. There are big changes. The top order gave great starts and that's the biggest change. If you look at our one-day cricket two or three years ago we weren't getting good starts. As the No. 5 batter, I was coming in at the 10-over mark quite frequently. But now there's a foundation, and that's a sign of us maturing."

Asalanka also credited coach Sanath Jayasuriya for his guidance and creating a positive environment.

"We all know how much Sanath Jayasuriya has done for the country. He shares his experience with us, and players like me and Dunith," Asalanka said. "He's especially good because he's also a left-hander. He wants to win matches and he inspires that desire to win games in us as well. He's created a good environment that's conducive to us performing well. This is just the start. There's a long way to go. As a captain that's the journey I want to go on with everyone in the team.

"As a captain I wanted 15 good individuals. I frequently say that I want good players on the coaching staff as well. It's not like two or three years ago, right now we've got players like Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Wellalage, Wanindu, and Sadeera who have made the team stable and played more than 40 matches. It's not like at the start," he added.

He emphasized creating a supportive environment for the players, allowing them to showcase their talent without pressure.

"As a team we tried to create a good environment, after talking to the coach. We tried to give a lot of freedom to our players and to show their talent. We don't put much pressure on them. We identify what the positives and negatives are and we back their strength. If they fail it's not a problem. If you have that backing you can play against a good team like this. In the T20s though we lost there were positives in our top order. I knew as a captain that when we play to our potential, we can compete against the best," he concluded.