'It's time our batting started winning matches for the team'
Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne talk about what it means to be given leadership roles in the one-day side, and what they can learn from Sangakkara and Jayawardene
Lahiru Thirimanne: I haven't changed a lot, technically, since I came into the team, but I have thought a lot about changing my batting according to the situation. When should I step out and hit a spinner? What types of balls should I always look to leave in a Test? Those are the kinds of things we work on inside the first year. Other than that, I think Marvan aiyya [Atapattu] doesn't like to change a lot about the way you bat, because that's what got you this far.
DC: I had a lot of coaching during April. There were a few small technical problems in my game. I worked those out with Marvan aiyya. That said I haven't been scoring many runs since then. But every sportsman goes through bad patches. No matter how hard you work on it, sometimes you don't get the rewards. That isn't just in cricket but in life as well - whether you're running a business or playing another sport, it's the same. At other times things happen for you when you haven't worked towards it. You have to weigh all that up in your approach to the game.
DC: I think Nos. 3 and 4 are where I have made a lot of runs. But in the Sri Lanka team there are players who are much better than me, and because of that I have to bat lower. Having said that, if you are truly a good batsman, then you need to know how to bat from No. 1 to No. 11. It's up to me to take that responsibility. I'm doing my best to rise again from the place to which I've fallen.
DC: We didn't just start playing together in the last couple of days; we've been in the same teams since we were about 15. We have a good friendship and we know each other's games. When I speak about something, he knows exactly what I mean, because we have a very good understanding. As cricketers and now captains, we talk a lot about what needs to happen for us to win games.
DC: I see a massive difference, especially recently. It's really tough for players who come into the international scene, and I've seen that myself. It's really important that the domestic standard improves in the future.
"They work and work on their techniques and they clear all their weaknesses before they go to the match. We are lucky, because we get to talk to them, and that way you learn more than from just watching them"Chandimal on having Sangakkara and Jayawardene as mentors
DC: I think the biggest thing is to have fewer teams in our domestic tournaments. We should then push all our talented players into that - the standard goes up a lot. If we had a set-up where the most talented cricketers play each other regularly and the best one gets picked, it wouldn't be so hard for that person to adjust to international cricket. But that said, everyone has problems. Look at Australia now. They are really struggling with their combinations, so it's not just us.
DC: He's a great talent, and like Thirimanne I've played with him since we were 15. I think the most important thing is being consistent and cutting down on your mistakes. We have some great senior players in the side, and we would be stupid not to watch the good things that they do and incorporate those things into our own game. We have to learn the things that make you successful at the top level for a long time. Even if you're not playing a lot of matches in a tour, there's no point just sitting around and watching. The seniors are a resource for us to ask questions from, and I still go and talk to them about my weaknesses. I think the key to surviving in that early period is to make as few mistakes as possible.
DC: Even off the field, they are always talking about cricket. They talk about bowlers and how they can get runs off them, they talk about certain conditions and what they need to make runs there. Before every match, they are talking about that match and that pitch, and by the time they get there they have a plan in their heads on how to be successful.
DC: The way I see it, at this stage of my career, Sri Lanka is the hardest place to bat - for me at least. I think a lot of other batsmen in the team will say that as well. There is uneven bounce and pace here, which isn't there in overseas pitches, where the ball just comes through at the same pace. Here some balls stay low, others stop on the pitch. I guess it depends on your own game as a batsman, as to how it affects you.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's Sri Lanka correspondent. He tweets here