India can learn from us, says Sangakkara by AFP

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Event:

ICC World Cup 2006/07

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DateLine: 29th March 2007

 

Sri Lanka wicket-keeper Kumara Sangakkara has told India they they can learn a lot about cricket, life and happiness from their island neighbours.

 

Sri Lanka beat India on their way to the World Cup second round Super Eights.

 

India, meanwhile, crashed out and went home to face the unrelenting fury of fans let down by a team many considered to be potential World Cup winners in the Caribbean.

 

"I feel sorry for India's cricketers," said Sangakkara.

 

"They'll now face a torrent of criticism and abuse in the coming weeks. Fanatical fans will no doubt be burning effigies. The huge expectation places their players under enormous pressure. And when that expectation is raised a degree or two, it can easily have a crippling effect.

 

"In Sri Lanka, the public seem to have a more easy-going perspective. Most Sri Lankans are passionate about sport, especially cricket, but we also seem to understand that sport is sport.

 

"I am not sure whether that more balanced attitude is the product of two decades of civil war, or merely reflects the more happy-go-lucky style of an island nation.

 

"The attitude of our fans makes it easier for us. We still get our fair share of criticism. But our houses are not stoned when we lose and we can still walk down the street without fearing for our safety. I'm grateful for this and really don't envy the situation of India and Pakistan's top cricketers."

 

Sangakkara admitted that the World Cup felt strange without India and Pakistan.

 

India also lost to Bangladesh in their group games while Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of part-timers Ireland. They also lost to the West Indies.

 

"It leaves the tournament with a strange emptiness," Sangakkara wrote in his www.cricinfo.com column.

 

"India's unbelievable passion for the game always ensures an occasion whenever they take the field. One billion fans and a clutch of high-paying sponsors are naturally bitterly disappointed."

 

Sangakkara believes that the pressure on India contributed to the demise of Rahul Dravid's team who succumbed to a 69-run defeat to Sri Lanka in Trinidad which confirmed their early exit.

 

"There was no doubt in our minds that we would win the game. We were completely focused," said Sangakkara.

 

"The same cannot be said about India's players. I thought our body language told the story. We were up for it, positive and very upbeat. India's players looked under pressure and their body language betrayed their edginess."

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)