Niroshan Dickwella believes Sunday’s Tri-Nation tournament final between Sri Lanka-A and India-A could come down to one simple factor — which side handles the crucial moments better.
The experienced wicketkeeper-batter, one of the senior figures in the Sri Lanka-A setup, feels both teams have shown enough quality throughout the tournament to make the title clash an evenly matched contest.
“For me, it’s all about how you approach the game on the day and how you contribute to the team,” Dickwella told Sportstar.
“To win a match, you first have to win the small situations. Whoever handles those crucial moments better will have a better chance of winning.”
While Sri Lanka-A has reached the final on the back of a series of consistent performances, Dickwella admitted he was still searching for the big innings he believes is around the corner.
“I’ve been fairly consistent, but I would have liked to get a bigger score,” he said. “Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to do that yet. Hopefully, I can get one in the final.”
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The 33-year-old has approached the tournament without setting personal milestones, choosing instead to focus on contributing in whatever role the team requires. However, he made no secret of his desire to work his way back into the national side.
“Of course, I want to be in the Sri Lanka team again, but there’s a process for that,” Dickwella said. “Right now, I’m just focused on doing what the team needs and following that process.”
Having spent more than a decade in international cricket, Dickwella also welcomed the growing competition within Sri Lanka’s ranks, particularly among wicketkeepers and top-order batters.
“Competition has always been there,” he said. “Even when I first played for Sri Lanka, there was competition. As long as you’re performing consistently, you’ll get your chance eventually. It’s good for Sri Lankan cricket because competition pushes everyone to perform.”
With the tournament producing several tense finishes, including a dramatic Super Over between the two finalists earlier in the week, Dickwella expects nerves to play a significant role on Sunday.
“There will always be pressure situations in a final,” he said. “It’s about how you handle those moments and settle your nerves. We’ve done that well at key stages, but India-A have played very good cricket too. I’m sure they’ll come back hard at us, so we’re expecting a tough game.”
Published on Jun 20, 2026
