Thirimanne eager to score at whatever position he gets

While the old firm of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara made merry in their last few years, unloading big scores on oppositions like they were having a going-out-of-business sale, Sri Lanka had also invested in a few startups. Lahiru Thirimanne was among the promising ventures that impressed in domestic cricket, and made encouraging starts to their international careers.

There has been some frustration in the years since, but the investment in Thirimanne has begun to come good in ODIs. His Test average, though, remains in the mid-20s. He hit two centuries in the 2014 Asia Cup, and became Sri Lanka's youngest World Cup centurion in March, so the selectors feel there is quality there. They will hope that his 44 in Galle and a 62 at the P Sara hint at big Test runs to come, following a lean series against Pakistan.

"If you look at the ODIs, I was always in the runs," Thirimanne said. "In Tests, the shots I played weren't executed all that well. There was an element of bad luck as well - sometimes the shots went directly to hand. Mentally I never had an issue. I was always ready for the matches I played. But then when you spend a little bit of time at the crease it gets easier. Once you score 20 or 30 runs, you start playing those shots well."

Despite his good returns in ODIs, Thirimanne has largely been a slow mover in Tests, in which his career strike rate is 40.26. He has added attacking strokes to his ODI game, but his approach in Tests could do with some fine-tuning, he said.

"When I go to bat, usually there's a bit of pressure on the team. There are two options - to hit out quickly and try to get some runs with the batsman on the other end, or to stay at the wicket for a while and work through it. I did take the second option quite often. But then sometimes you think that it would have been good to follow a middle path - to score runs without taking too many risks. My low strike rate has often had to do with the situation."

Thirimanne has been a victim of Sri Lanka's frequent top-order reshuffles. In this series alone, he has batted at Nos. 3, 4, 6 and 7, and has had no more than 13 innings in any particular spot, out of 42 overall.

He has been talked about as Kumar Sangakkara's replacement at No. 3, and even his ODI success has come in the top three. But with Upul Tharanga set to return to the XI, Thirimanne may have to settle for a middle-order position.

"You have to bat well wherever you get the opportunity, so there's no real excuse," Thirimanne said.  "That's something I've learned since making my debut. You have to play anywhere at this level. That said, I do have good one-day form in the top three, and I hope I can replicate that in Tests."

Thirimanne has been among the left-handed batsmen who have struggled against R Ashwin's offspin this series. He has fallen to Ashwin three times in four innings.

"Even though Ashwin doesn't have a doosra or too many other variations, he troubles batsmen with those changes of speed," Thirimanne said. "He doesn't give many loose balls at all. It's a big challenge for a left-hander. A right-hander would have two or three options. We'll talk as a team and work hard in training. We'll try to counterattack him and win through. It's important to go in with a clear mind and a clear plan."