Former cricketers slam Arjuna Ranatunga for his controversial comments on India’s squad for SL tour

Former Sri Lanka World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga has made controversial comments about the Indian contingent that has arrived on the island nation, calling it a “B-Team” and slammed the Sri Lanka Cricket administration for agreeing on this tour. In reply, former cricketers slammed have Ranatunga for his hasty comments.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra stated hard facts and questioned Sri Lanka cricket’s current position.

“It is absolutely right that it is not the main team, the likes of Bumrah, Shami, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja are not there. But is it really like a B-grade team?”

It is worth noting that Sri Lanka would need to play the T20 World Cup qualifiers in order to get their berth in the Super 12 stage of the tournament. Interestingly, Chopra pointed out that Afghanistan advanced to the second stage through direct qualification, whereas former World Champions could not.

“Sri Lanka will have to look inwards as well. Let’s be honest, Afghanistan don’t have to play the World T20 qualifiers, you have to. This is a reality. The truth is that Sri Lankan cricket is really struggling at the moment, even if you look at the England numbers now. There is a possibility they may not qualify for the T20 World Cup, that they do not come in the main draw at all. You may not be there in the Super 12. That is also a reality and Afghanistan is already there,” he added.

Former Pakistan leg-spinner, Danish Kaneria hit out on Ranatunga stating that he just wanted to make a statement and “stay in the limelight.” He went on to say that this Indian team includes seasoned international campaigners like Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

“Ranatunga made the statement just to stay in the limelight. India is one such nation that contains 50-60 players and can make two international teams. Many players, including Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, have been with the Indian team for a while. It is sad to hear such a statement from cricketer of your stature,” Danish Kaneria stated.

Kanera concluded by saying that, India has kept its promise and is sending a team of absolute quality, which will ideally benefit the Sri Lankans in terms of raising their game as well as their financial situation.

“Sri Lankan cricket is on the decline. Look at the way they are playing the series in England. It is as if they have forgotten playing cricket. The Sri Lankan board should feel blessed that India is sending a team to help the board will be out of the financial crisis,” Danish Kaneria concluded.