SL vs AUS | Karunaratne expects the batting unit to post a big score to level the series

The Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne has hoped that they can keep the Australian team under pressure if the batting unit manages to post a big total in the first innings of the second Test match.

The first fixture witnessed the Pat Cummins-led side securing a 10-wicket victory by restricting the home country to low scores of 212 and 113 in both innings, respectively. 

Karunaratne reckoned that they had won red-ball matches at Galle by giving extra cushion to their spinners like Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera by scoring sufficient runs in the last decade. Hence, the 34-year-old has called for the batters to replicate the same performances which have won them games at this venue.  

"When we've won matches here, it's not generally on tracks that turned from ball one," Karunaratne said. "It's when we batted well and used that scoreboard pressure to give the spinners a cushion - that's when we've won here. We don't have Rangana Herath or Dilruwan Perera anymore, so the spinners have to do what they can," said Karunaratne. 

"But as a batting unit, we need to put up a big first-innings score. That's where you set the tone for the bowlers to build that pressure."

Dimuth Karunaratne trusts the same processes to return to form

In the first Test, Karunaratne returned with the knocks of 28 and 23 and could not convert his starts into big innings. However, he has opted to trust the same routine in the practice sessions, which has helped him to be one of the key run-scorers for Sri Lanka in the longest format. 

"I've got a very simple plan for myself. I'm not going to change what I'm doing based on what happened in the last match," he said. "This is a new game. Perhaps the pitch will be better for this game than the last one. I'm going through the routine that has brought me success," SL skipper concluded.

The second and final match of this series will get underway on July 8 at Galle. The Sri Lankan team has received a boost with the availability of Angelo Mathews, while Glenn Maxwell can mark his presence in the Australia line-up.