Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu Reflects on Series Loss and World Cup Aspirations

In the wake of a 5-0 series defeat to India, Sri Lanka's captain Chamari Athapaththu reflects on the team's performance, emphasizing the need for improvement in power-hitting and batting. Despite the challenges, she remains optimistic about the younger players' contributions and the team's preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Athapaththu highlights the importance of trusting their skills and playing freely as they aim to elevate their game. The final match saw India secure a 15-run victory, with key performances from both teams. Athapaththu's insights provide a glimpse into the team's mindset as they look to bounce back.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 30, 2025, 23:44 IST

Athapaththu Discusses Team's Performance

Following a 5-0 series defeat to India, Chamari Athapaththu, the captain of Sri Lanka, expressed that the team is not currently showcasing their best cricket. She emphasized the need for enhancements in power-hitting and overall batting skills. Despite the loss, Athapaththu remains optimistic about the younger players' performances, stating that the team is concentrating on trusting their abilities and playing with freedom as they prepare for the T20 World Cup. "We are not at our peak performance in this tournament. There are definitely areas we need to work on, particularly in power-hitting and batting. However, there are positive aspects to take away, especially with some young players performing admirably in the middle order. We aim to carry this momentum forward and play our best cricket in the upcoming months," she remarked after the match.

Dressing Room Insights and World Cup Preparation

Athapaththu noted that while senior players, including herself, are performing well, they have yet to reach their full potential. "Some seniors like Inoka, Nilakshi, and Hasini are playing well, but I believe we can do better, especially as experienced players. The youngsters are seizing their opportunities and excelling in crucial moments. We have a lot to consider before the World Cup, and we need to address several areas for improvement. I am hopeful we can showcase our best cricket during the tournament. In the dressing room, we discussed the positives because we played exceptionally well 6-7 months ago. Our coach encourages us to play to our potential, trust our skills, and play freely, which is vital. We talked about how some batters executed well at critical times. Although we fought hard against India, we unfortunately fell short in the matches," she added.

Match Summary: India Completes Clean Sweep

In the final match, India triumphed by 15 runs. Chasing a target of 176 runs, Sri Lanka managed to score 160 runs in their allotted 20 overs. Although Sri Lanka showed improvement in their batting, it wasn't sufficient to secure a win. Athapaththu was dismissed early, but Imesha Dulani and Hasini Perera formed a solid partnership, adding 79 runs for the second wicket, keeping their team competitive. However, losing wickets in the latter part of the innings left Sri Lanka 16 runs short of victory.

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur's outstanding fifty, coupled with a crucial late innings contribution from Arundhati Reddy, who scored 20 runs in the final over, propelled India to a total of 175/7. Reddy and Sneh Rana's partnership of 33 runs off just 14 balls for the eighth wicket proved vital in setting a challenging target. Reddy's impactful innings in the closing stages made a significant difference in the match.