Karunaratne targets more Test tons

COLOMBO: Having recently entered the top-10 of ICC Test rankings for batsmen, Sri Lanka's reliable Dimuth Karunaratne has now set sights on a personal goal of "20 to 25 Test hundreds".

Karunaratne was in a league of his own in the just-concluded two-match Test series against South Africa at home that was dominated by the bowlers. He scored a sum total of 356 runs while crossing 50 in each of the four innings. His tally was more than three times what the best South African batsman - skipper Faf du Plessis - managed in the entire series.

Karunaratne now has eight Test centuries, having at least once hit the triple-figure mark against Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and South Africa since the start of 2017. "My personal goal that I would be happy with is to get to 20 to 25 Test hundreds, and hopefully one day I will get there," he said at the end of the second Test in Colombo. "I want to be a match-winning performer and give my best. When I do that rankings will automatically come."

The detachment from rankings might serve the left-hander well. Not so long ago, Karunaratne had to give the series in West Indies a miss due to lack of match practice after having just recovered from a hand injury suffered in May. He was instead sent to Bangladesh with the A squad for the two unofficial Tests, which is where his good run started.

"Actually, when the West Indies Tests started, I was fit. But I didn't have any match practice behind me. So the selectors told me to be fit for South Africa series and wanted me to play Bangladesh games. That was a good call, because even when I started playing in that series, I wasn't too confident in my body. I was fearful that the hand might break again. But once I spent a couple of hours at the crease, I started to feel like it was okay, and I sort of slipped into my natural game."

And now, being a Test match specialist, Karunratne has a long time-off ahead of him. Sri Lanka have neither international nor domestic long-form cricket scheduled for the next three months until England arrive for the three-match Test series in November. "That's the biggest challenge for someone who is a Test specialist - you have to go months without a game. This time, since the Bangladesh A matches were there, I could get back to form. Breaks are good, but I need to be at the top of my game. To get back to being that settled at the crease and to keep that intensity is not easy. But I have done that throughout my career. If there are any domestic matches - any kinds of matches - before the next Test, I will definitely play them."

Karunaratne's ability to dig in and score big on tough pitches has earned him applause from all corners. The opener revealed working with his childhood coach and Sri Lanka's batting coach to improve on specific shots on turning tracks. "I had a few chats with my school coach recently, and Hashan Tillakaratne has been a great help, along with batting coach Thilan Samaraweera," he revealed. "With Hashan, I worked on stuff like the sweep and reverse sweep. Those are must-have shots when fielders are close in. When you play the sweep or reverse sweep, the field spreads."