“We have dignity”: Rana Tonga lashes out at Sri Lanka in the Indian “Team B” Tour | Cricket News

The World Cup champion captain criticized the country’s sports leaders for agreeing to a “second-level” Indian team’s tour.

Sri Lanka’s World Cup champion captain Arjuna Ranatunga criticized the island’s sports leaders for agreeing to a “second-level” Indian tour.

Rana Tonga, 57, said on Friday that the tour undermined the country’s “dignity” because he attacked Sports Minister Namar Rajapaksa and the Sri Lanka cricket team.

India Team Led by Shihar Davan Arrived in Sri Lanka on Monday to prepare for the three one-day international matches and three Twenty20 matches that will begin on July 13.

Top Indian stars including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant were absent. Everyone is preparing for the test series to be held in England next month.

“The Indian team who came to Sri Lanka is not their best. This is a second-tier team,” Ranatunga said. “Doesn’t our sports minister or cricket administrator know this?”

“Sri Lanka may have declined (ranking), but as a cricket country, we have an identity, we have dignity, and we should not try our best to print the degree B team.”

Rana Tonga, who led Sri Lanka to the 1996 World Cup, said that game management has deteriorated and called for a major cleanup to improve the standards and skills of the game.

He said that the authorities did not consider the humiliation that Sri Lankan players would suffer.

According to Rana Tonga, the cricket leader only considered economic gains.

“Agree that the secret of the Indian team B is the television rights,” Ranatunga said. “The board wants to make money from this game, even if it means putting our players against team B.”

He said that the lack of discipline of some Sri Lankan players was also due to mismanagement.

Deputy Captain Kusal Mendis, opener Danushka Gunathilaka and goalkeeper Niroshan Dickwella were withdrawn from the current England Tour after violating the COVID-19 biosecurity bubble.