DDS set to lose Test captaincy

Sri Lanka's Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva is set to lose his leadership position following his perceived underwhelming performance during the recent series loss to India. The Island reports that the selectors are considering removing Dhananjaya, who has been serving as Dimuth Karunaratne's deputy for several years, from the captaincy.

While Dhananjaya does not have an extensive repertoire of tactics, past captains like Arjuna Ranatunga and Sourav Ganguly demonstrated that limited resources could still allow a leader to make an impact on a game. Despite his lack of a comprehensive game plan, Dhananjaya has been criticized for his inability to assert his authority on the field, often allowing the team to drift rather than taking decisive actions.

The selectors had considered changing the captain midway through the India series but were convinced otherwise by Head Coach Gary Kirsten. Chief Selector Kapila Wijegunawardene, however, believes it's too early to make a decision. The selectors now face the challenge of finding a successor, as they had neglected to groom a potential leader in the first place.

Front runners for the role include Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis, though the latter recently lost the vice-captaincy. Charith Asalanka, who has not played a Test in over four years, is another candidate, while Sonal Dinusha, a relatively inexperienced player, has been mentioned as a potential option due to his successful limited overs captaincy in recent years.