LPL 2021: Rajapaksa dreams big: "Want to see Virat Kohli in the Lanka Premier League"
Colombo, December 14th: Virat Kohli may have resigned from India's white ball captaincy, but the swashbuckling batter is still the game's fixture and highly admired by many cricketers around the world. Sri Lanka's Bhanuka Rajapaksa is one of the players who admire Kohli for his leadership, courage and determination.
In an interaction with ANI, Rajapaksa spoke about his leadership style, the impact of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) on Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and his desire to see Kohli play in the LPL. “It's always exciting when you're leading a team. I got the opportunity because Shahid Afridi left the team for personal reasons last year. "It was a fantastic moment with the boys and I'm looking forward to taking the title this year," said Rajapaksa, who leads Galle Gladiators in the 2021 LPL. When asked who his favorite Indian cricketer was, Rajapaksa had no doubt about taking Kohli's name.
"At the moment I would say without a doubt, Virat Kohli." he said. The Sri Lanka batsman was quick to pick Kohli when asked which Indian cricketer he would like to see in the LPL. "Definitely Virat Kohli," said an enthusiastic Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa enjoys his role as captain of the Galle Gladiators and the batter believes his captaincy has improved his game: "For me, I've been leading the team for some time, so it's always had a positive effect on my clout.
As a captain, I strive always after a kill, I don't want to lose a match with 10-15 runs, "said Rajapaksa." Even if it's a run, I don't mind losing a match. Captaincy has had a huge impact on my batting, it has become more aggressive, "he added.
Rajapaksa has no doubt that the Franchise Tournament (LPL) will definitely help Sri Lanka find quality cricketers for the Asian side. "Obviously if you look at other leagues around the world they have found so many young players, even the players who haven't played in the past," said Rajapaksa.
"It will be a huge advantage for Sri Lankan cricket and us saw the advantage, we found a few young people. The LPL is going to be a huge success in the future, I think, "he added. Galle Gladiators is third on the scoreboard with five points from six games and Rajapaksa has focused all his attention on Tuesday's game."
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We are pretty confident, we had a lot of difficulties last year. We were fifth or fourth in the table but we made it to the final in a game or two. Tonight's game will be a big game for us, "he said goodbye. After the game against the Dambulla Giants, the Galle Gladiators will face the Jaffna Kings in their last league game on Friday. Fans can watch Jaffna Kings vs Galle Gladiators LIVE on SONY TEN 2's channels on December 17th at 3:00 p.m. IST.