NEW DELHI: Former Sri Lanka cricketer Russel Arnold acknowledges that nothing in cricket compares to the joy of defeating India. With the Asia Cup underway, Arnold feels Sri Lanka have the firepower to challenge — and potentially derail — India’s campaign if the two sides meet in the Super 4s stage of the Asia Cup. Arnold, who represented Sri Lanka in 44 Tests, 180 ODIs and one T20I, also said that bilateral series between India and Sri Lanka should be revived more frequently, as they used to be a regular feature in the past. He explained that the decline in bilateral contests was due to a packed international calendar and the growing participation of players in various franchise leagues across the globe. In this edition of the Asia Cup, India are placed in Group B alongside Pakistan, Oman and United Arab Emirates (UAE), while Sri Lanka are in Group A with Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong. In an exclusive conversation with TimesofIndia.com, Arnold spoke about the Asia Cup, Sri Lanka’s chances, India being the team to beat, the importance of reviving India–Sri Lanka bilateral series, and much more…India vs Sri Lanka:
| Format | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test matches | 1982–2022 | 46 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| One-Day Internationals (ODIs) | 1979–2024 | 171 | 99 | 59 | 2 | 0 |
| Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) | 2009–2024 | 32 | 21 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
How do you assess Sri Lanka national cricket team’s chances of winning the Asia Cup this year? I think they stand a good chance. It’s going to be very competitive, and I’m really looking forward to the tournament because it’s of high quality — especially with the Bangladesh national cricket team and, more recently, the Afghanistan national cricket team playing some wonderful cricket. Everyone is somewhat of a threat. The India national cricket team will probably be the team to beat, but the way Sri Lanka national cricket team are going about things, I think they’re on the right track. Players are coming together, settling into their roles, and hopefully they can perform at the high standard required to make it difficult for the other teams.Which three key Sri Lankan players do you think can be game-changers in this tournament?Pathum Nissanka, right at the top of the order, can set the tone. Kamindu Mendis is settling into his new role at number seven, and he’s going to be a real key for Sri Lanka national cricket team, whichever way their batting goes. And then I’ll go with Dushmantha Chameera, who’s fit and firing, to make an impact with the ball for Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka once dominated world cricket, but now Afghanistan national cricket team are emerging as the second-best team in Asia after India national cricket team. What, in your view, has caused the decline in Sri Lankan cricket? They’ve struggled with consistency. Now and then, they’ve produced good performances that make you take notice, but repeating those performances has been their biggest challenge. With so much cricket being played these days, having depth in the squad is crucial — and Sri Lanka seem to lack that depth. India, for example, can afford to rest and rotate players to keep them fresh. That kind of balance is vital for sustained success. In contrast, Sri Lanka often face injuries, and each injury feels like a major setback because they don’t have ready replacements. This disrupts their rhythm and puts them off their game. Building greater bench strength is one of the key challenges Sri Lanka must address to stay competitive consistently.Earlier, India and Sri Lanka used to play bilateral series quite frequently, sometimes even twice a year. That’s rare now. Do you think there should be more India–Sri Lanka series again? It’s always good to play India because it’s such an interesting and challenging series. But the packed schedules these days don’t allow for it as much. With the rise of franchise cricket, there simply isn’t enough time. It’s not like 20 years ago, when teams could fit in more fixtures and longer series. The landscape of cricket has changed completely. So, even if everyone wants it, time has become a major constraint. There are plenty of benefits to playing against India. They’re competitive, marketable and commercially very strong. That’s why every team around the world wants to play — and beat — them. India have set the bar so high, and there’s a lot other teams, including Sri Lanka, can learn from them. And of course, there’s great joy whenever we manage to beat them as well. So yes, if time permitted, it would be fantastic to play more matches against them — it would benefit the players and the bigger picture of running cricket too.Do you feel the growing preference for franchise leagues over national duty is one of the reasons for the decline in bilateral cricket between the two teams? Players, of course, would love to play for their countries. At the end of the day, they’re professional cricketers, and there’s only a limited window to build a life for themselves — because they give up on everything else for the game. So, if players make decisions based on securing their future, I have no problem with that. You’ve got to make the best decision for yourself, because in the beginning, it’s you and your family who are always there for you. Yes, cricket has changed, and the rewards are very different now. And if it means making a tough call to look after your family or to build a better life for them, then that’s the way you’ll go. I’m pretty sure that if those options were available to you, you’d have to make the same decision as well.Sanath Jayasuriya has come on board as Sri Lanka’s coach. Do you think his arrival could turn things around and possibly inspire the team to win the Asia Cup this time? Hoping so — that would make me very happy as well. But as I mentioned earlier, it’s going to be a massive challenge. You have to get past some quality teams, which means playing the best cricket possible. Sri Lanka do have the players and the skill; it’s about bringing it all together. What matters is how you perform on that particular day — and then being able to back it up the next day. Consistency is what’s required to get those results, and Sri Lanka have had some issues with continuity. Hopefully, they learn from their past mistakes. Sanath Jayasuriya’s passion and emotion can rub off on the players, and that high intensity can be maintained.The Asia Cup also serves as preparation for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year. How important is this tournament in that context? That’s the beauty of the Asia Cup, isn’t it? We play the same format leading into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, so it gives you that opportunity. But for the players, yes, they need to clear their minds — take each day as it comes, go out there, express themselves, and make a name for themselves. When you start looking too far ahead — four or six months down the line — that’s where things go wrong. You cannot treat this as just a practice tournament. It’s an international tournament of high quality. There’s rivalry, there’s gamesmanship. You’ve got to go out there ready to play each day. Yes, in the bigger picture it serves as a warm-up, a chance to get things right. But every player out there will want to win this tournament — and that’s exactly how it’s going to be played.In the last Asia Cup final against India, Mohammed Siraj ran through Sri Lanka’s batting with a five-wicket haul. Do you think Sri Lanka have learned from that loss and are better prepared to bounce back this time? Well, they have struggled against Mohammed Siraj the last couple of times, haven’t they? But the players have changed, they’ve worked on their games, and they’ve learned from their mistakes — which is something I’m seeing in this Sri Lanka national cricket team. So, it’s not going to be as easy this time.What is your favourite memory from playing against India? We used to play a lot, as you mentioned. But the best game I remember goes back to that match in Sharjah, when Sanath Jayasuriya scored 189 and put on a big partnership with me. Then we bowled out India national cricket team for a very low total — that was very special.
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