New Delhi: Former Sri Lankan cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga said that his 1996 World Cup winning team can defeat the current Indian men’s cricket team in India. The 61-year-old compared the game style of the current Indian players to that of legendary names such as Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar.
Ranatunga is no strange to making controversial comments with his statement of India sending a ‘B’ team during their 2021 white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. And the 1996 World Cup-winning captain was once again at the end of saying something bizarre.
While criticising the current generation of Indian cricketers, Ranatunga refuted how the Indian players get out twice without playing an impactful knock on the pitch, referring to their abysmal performance in Test cricket after defeats to New Zealand at home and Australia down under.
Ranatunga’s Bold Claim: 1996 Sri Lanka vs. Current India
Ranatunga pointed out how his team would have to grind the whole day but couldn’t dismiss the best Indian batters like Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Mohinder Amarnath, and Tendulkar. To disintegrate the current Indian team players, the Sri Lankan legend said that his erstwhile team can get the better of the Men in Blue.
“When I was captaining in the early 90s, you look at that batting order as a player… Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Amarnath. We couldn’t get them out twice,” Ranatunga told The Telegraph.
“I’m blunt. I’ll tell you to the face. If I have this Indian side play against my ’96 side, I’ll get them out twice. I’ll beat India in India,” he added.
Ranatunga, who has been a long-standing critic of franchise cricket, also observed that international cricket will vanish and players will prefer more franchise cricket, though he acknowledged that many players do earn well because of the T20 extravaganza. He did asked the Sri Lankan players to put their pride over money when he was the MP and Sri Lankan players were barred from participating in IPL 2013 in Chennai at the same time.
Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga boldly claims that his team could defeat the current Indian cricket team in India. He criticised the current Indian players’ performance, contrasting it with legendary players like Gavaskar and Tendulkar. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
