'We have to compete, but we can't do that by copying India'
Sri Lanka's captain talks about learning on the job, shepherding his players and making the most of their limitations
"My first job is as a batsman. If I do that, then the captaincy side of things becomes a little easier" • Peter Della Penna
It's a big challenge, and I knew that when I took the job on. I know that I have to perform as an individual to keep my place in the side, and having not been around for four years, I've got something to prove. There's pressure, but if you want to perform, there's got to be that pressure pushing you. The way I look at it is that my first job is as a batsman. If I do that, then the captaincy side of things becomes a little easier.
The only real fear was about my own performance. I was never worried about acceptance from the team, because I think they like me (laughs). Whether I'm in the Test team or the one-day team, I get on well with everyone. I knew that no one would reject me because of that. I've never done anything wrong towards the team for that kind of resentment to be there.
"What the team expects from me is to anchor the innings, in the way that I might do in a Test. That's something I can do."
One thing is that I'm close with everyone, and I treat everyone the same. I don't care if they're a senior player or a junior player. There's no one I would ever favour. If someone came brand new into the team today, I'd treat them the same as I would Malinga. I've told everyone to bring me their problems, and I'll treat it as my own problem and find a solution. I try to be a friend to everyone, and build that bond. Whether I'm right or wrong, I think people respect what I say. If someone thinks I'm wrong, they'll say: "Have you thought about this?" I like that, because it's healthy to have those debates. And at least they are listening.
Well, we lost a lot of matches in a stretch. When that happens people are afraid of expressing themselves and their ideas. They're worried that if they tell the captain something and it turns out not to work, then they'll be blamed. But because I treat people the same, I think I get that information from everyone. My job then is to filter that and use what is good. If I have any doubts, I'll quickly call the seniors - not just one of them, but all three - and get their thoughts. By all three I mean Thisara, Mali and Angie. So then I choose the best way forward.
I have captained in one-dayers quite a lot, in domestic and A-team cricket, but there are different challenges in international cricket. One of the good things about often going to the senior players for that advice is that they know I value what they have to say. There's no point being the captain if you don't have the support of the other ten players. When I play a few more games, I'll get experience for myself. I think I'm a quick learner. But right now, I need to lean on the seniors.
He's someone we absolutely need in the team. I don't think I need to talk about everything he has done for Sri Lanka. As soon as I got the captaincy, I called Lasith aiya. I told him he was someone that had to be in my team. I had heard rumours that he wouldn't play in this World Cup if he wasn't captain. But I personally called him and asked him to play. He's done so much for Sri Lanka, and a World Cup comes only every four years. I definitely need his support.
He's played so much cricket, in internationals and things like the IPL, that his knowledge is off the charts. But in our side, a lot of the players we have are inexperienced. I have played a lot of cricket with this set of players, and I sort of know their mentality. I know what they expect from a captain. With Mali aiya, the things he says can sometimes be tough for some of the less experienced players to grasp. I think maybe that's the difference. Because I've been playing with these players in domestic cricket and the A team, I can maybe take what Mali aiya is saying and filter that message. The way I'd suggest something to Suranga Lakmal is different from the way I'd say it to Nuwan Pradeep.
"The only real fear was about my own performance. I was never worried about acceptance from the team, because I think they like me"
For sure. No matter how much you practice, it won't matter if you're not mentally strong. If you're constantly thinking about cricket, it's very tough. You're mentally exhausted before you even play. So what I told the management was to give players permission to go where they want and do what they want, as much as possible. They go out because they enjoy being out, and that means their minds are not on cricket, at least for a little bit. If you only think about the game, it can be a headache.
Hathu aiya is someone who analyses the game a lot, and he gives a lot of information to players. That works for some players, but it doesn't work for others. If I feel sometimes that maybe the information is too much, I might [talk to] that player casually about it. Then I can feed that back to Hathu aiya and we can work as a team. At other times, if I feel the team needs information, I'll run that by Hathu aiya and we decide what to do. At other times we've decided not to have team meetings, because I've felt the team is already prepared, and we didn't want to cause any confusion. We talk with each other and strike a balance.
I think that comes from having played a lot of cricket with this group of people. When we play domestic cricket, we don't have that information flying at us, and there's no stress. Everybody just plays the game. And I know which players really don't like that information. I've shared rooms at domestic level with Kusal Perera, and if someone comes and asks him to go view some footage, he's really reluctant. He feels it messes up his game, and he tells me that. He's someone that just freely plays the ball as it comes.
The captaincy was never something I asked for. What I really wanted was to play. I have personal targets: I want to play 100 Tests, for example. Captaincy is just one waypoint in my career. Not everyone gets to do it, so I'm really grateful for the opportunity. But it's not something I am greedy about. If I can perform and contribute to a win, that's enough for me.
We are a team with limited talent. If you compare us with a lot of other sides, we have major limitations. For example, the India side has someone who hits a hundred virtually in every match. In our team, we've only had one or two centurions all year. Their openers can hit the big shots any time they want. They can defend any time they want. If they want to be 70 or 80 after ten overs, they can do that, and if the conditions are tough, they can be 30 or 40 for no loss after ten as well. They've faced every bowler there is to face, either in internationals or the IPL, and they've got all that knowledge and experience. They've got fast bowlers that go at over 140kph. We don't have that luxury - we're 130, 135kph. Their bowlers can bat, but ours can't so much. So we have to work within those limitations. We have to compete, but we can't copy India. We have our own rhythm. The way we make 300 is not the same as the way they do it. If we play smart, we can beat anyone.
If you look at a player like Kusal Mendis, it's only in the last two games that he hasn't scored. He did well in South Africa, and he did well against Scotland. Someone like Angelo, meanwhile, is a different thing. He's someone who might make a duck today but could come out and hit a hundred tomorrow. He's got the determination and character to do that. I don't think I need to say anything to Angelo. He knows where his mistakes are.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's Sri Lanka correspondent. @afidelf