Mahela Jayawardene

Brisbane: Mahela Jayawardene is hoping to put up a better show in the tri-series two months after being hammered 2-0 by Australia in Tests. At a press conference on Monday, the Sri Lanka captain also downplayed the egg-throwing incident on Muttiah Muralidharan.

[Murali also laughed it off. “When you come to Australia, you expect such incidents,” said the off-spinner.]

Jayawardene echoed similar sentiments. “It’s not a big deal, we came here to play cricket and are looking forward to that. We just have to move on and not get too worried about such things,” he said.

The following are excerpts

On Sri Lanka’s chances

It’s all about preparation… One-day cricket is totally different from Test matches. It’s going to be an interesting series. India have done well in the recent past with a young team and Australia are always very consistent. Most teams are trying to set themselves up for the next World Cup by bringing in new players and seeing if they fit into the set-up.

On his thoughts about the tri-series

Every game, every point and every bonus point becomes very important in a tri-series. It’s very important to get off to a good start. In a tournament like this, the first goal of every team is to get into the finals. Australia start favourites, but that doesn’t mean you can’t knock them out of the competition if you play consistently good cricket.

On the Indian youngsters

We have played against quite a few, only Manoj Tiwary and Rohit Sharma are the guys we haven’t come up against. But we saw Rohit at the Twenty20 World Cup. We therefore have a pretty good idea about them. India are a young side, but they have got the experience as well. I would be able to comment on the Indians after four or five matches. Ishant Sharma, for example, looks interesting. But once the international batsmen know about you, how you move on from there is important…

On whether Sri Lanka have an edge over India

It’s too early to talk about it. We need to start playing first, take one game at a time. It all depends on your form, and how you adapt to conditions and situations.

On why India were more successful against the Aussies in Tests

It was because their medium-pacers bowled better than we did. We did not bowl well and our batting was not up to the mark. It hampered Murali, besides the fact that they had four left-handers in their line-up.

On Sanath Jayasuriya’s fitness (the left-handed opener was struck on the jaw during a practice game in Hobart on Friday)

He is fine. It was just a cut, he needed a couple of stitches. It’s nothing serious, he’s fine and should play tomorrow.

On his message to teammates in the light of Harbhajan Singh being accused of racial abuse by Andrew Symonds

I have told the guys to concentrate on cricket, as simple as that. It was the advice I got as a youngster, and it’s the same advice I am giving the youngsters. It’s a good lesson for all of us. These kind of things will crop up in future as well, but hopefully not too much. We shouldn’t dwell on it too much, but move forward and concentrate on playing good cricket. India showed that they are a tough side, they blocked everything else out and played excellent cricket after the first two Tests. They showed a lot of character, and that is the way forward for all teams.

On Muralidharan and the egg-throwing incident

It’s just a random thing... They were all having a good laugh. We just needed to make a report at the police station to ensure it does not escalate and nothing serious happens… eggs are fine. Murali was part of a big group going out for dinner and was the only recognisable person in that lot. It’s not a big deal, we came here to play cricket and are looking forward to that. We just have to move on and not get too worried about such things. All the guys were saying ‘we wish it was Murali who got the egg and not one of our selectors.’ It’s nothing serious, those guys were probably drunk.

On Murali’s reaction

Murali was laughing about it as well. I think if he had a stone or something around him he would have thrown it back at the guy, that was the fun part of it. We asked him if he did get a chance and he said he was not sure what had happened… And by the time they realised it was an egg the car had sped off. There were actually traffic lights in front, and he said luckily for them it was green as well… Else we would have chased them down, that’s Murali for you. The guy has gone through tougher things than eggs… it’s not a big deal.

On the crowd in Australia

Australia is a place where you are not just against the aggression of players but the crowd as well. Everyone wants to win here. When teams come here they have to prepare for that and be much more tougher. You just have to block everything else and concentrate on your work in the middle. That’s the only way you can challenge these guys. Indians have showed that. After all the mishaps they got together and won the Test match to show character. That’s the way forward.