‘Bhai WC ke pehle kiu karna’ – Fans react to reports of Dasun Shanaka stepping down as Sri Lanka’s captain before 2023 ODI World Cup

Dasun Shanaka’s Sri Lanka had a terrible outing against India in the recent Asia Cup 2023 final in Colombo. They got bundled out for just 50 runs in 15.2 overs and registered the lowest-ever total in the history of the ODIs in the tournament. After the loss, Shanaka said sorry to all the fans and thanked them for coming in large numbers at the stadium.  

He said: “I would like to thank the fans who came in numbers, really sorry that we disappointed you. We as cricketers really love you. And congratulations to the Indian team for the brand of cricket they’re playing.” But, now, as per the recent reports by Revsportz, Dasun Shanaka is most likely to step down from the captaincy even before the upcoming ODI World Cup. Listening to such reports, fans shared their views on social media. 

Dasun Shanaka has won 23 out of 39 ODIs so far as skipper of Sri Lanka

Speaking about Shanaka, he had a disappointing tournament as an individual. In six matches, he scored 54 runs and took four wickets only. But, his captaincy was good enough to guide his team to the final. He also guided the team to victory in the World Cup qualifying tournament and ensured his team’s berth in the mega event. Under his captaincy so far, Sri Lanka have won 23 games in 39 ODIs. Hence, his winning percentage stands at 58%. Based on this percentage, he is in the second spot. 

After the final, Sri Lanka head coach, Chris Silverwood also heaped praises to Shanaka’s captaincy. He said: “There’s more to being the captain than just scoring runs. Dasun is very good at it. He has the respect of everyone in the dressing room. He understands the players and shows them a lot of love and support as well. And that love and support is returned to him as well. But he’s not alone in there. He’s got a lot of support in that dressing room.”

Here is how fans have reacted:

https://twitter.com/izishan7/status/1704352871792390266