“Actually, we’ve been playing really good cricket in the last 12 months against some big teams. My plan is to ensure we play our best cricket in front of everyone,” she said in the pre-match press conference in Guwahati.
“We don’t want to put too much pressure on our shoulders. We have to execute our plans at the right time and I know we can win this game (against India).”
Following their clash with India, Sri Lanka return home to the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, where they will host defending champions Australia and then England. Five of their seven group-stage matches will be played at the venue, a factor Athapaththu sees as an advantage.
“Yeah, definitely (we have the home advantage). We’re playing five games at home in Sri Lanka at the Premadasa stadium on home soil in home conditions so we know the conditions better than anyone.
“But we have to play our best cricket and execute our plans at the right time, and we need to have a good start,” she conceded.