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Sri Lanka's newly appointed captain Tillakaratne Dilshan has said he doesn't mind leaving the IPL early in order to prepare for the upcoming tour of England. Dilshan is among the 11 Sri Lankan players who have been asked by Sri Lanka Cricket to return by May 5, in order to attend a training camp before leaving for England on May 11.
"Personally, I am not unhappy to return early," said Dilshan, who is on a brief visit to Colombo amid his IPL commitments with Royal Challengers Bangalore. "Playing for my country is more important than playing the IPL. I think everybody selected for the England tour will be happy to come early. We have a new interim coach [Stuart Law] and a new batting coach [Marvan Atapattu]. I am also new as captain. We need to prepare together to build up for the big England tour."
Apart from reaffirming his commitment to the national side, Dilshan has also toned down the flashier aspects of his image as he gets ready for captaincy. "Times have changed. I pierced my ear when my daughter cried when her ears were being pierced," he said. "Now I don't see a need to wear the earring. It's the same with my hair. [Streaking it] was fashionable then for me, it is not so now."
Dilshan, however, said he was not planning to tone down his attacking brand of cricket. "I'm a bit aggressive. Perhaps I will sometimes change my style a bit. But I might play with it even as a captain.
"Captaincy is a challenging role for me. It's a dream come true. I never expected it. I want to give it my best shot. I have played for nearly 12 years. It's been a very long journey to the top."
SLC had initially signed a No Objection Certificate (NOC) with its players allowing them to participate in the IPL until May 20. The tournament carries on until May 28, while the England tour kicks off with a warm-up game on May 14. The BCCI has been in talks with SLC, to convince them to allow their players to extend their IPL participation, but Sri Lanka is unlikely to relent.
"The BCCI has asked us to reconsider our decision, but we have not changed our stand," SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said. "We did sign a no-objection agreement with the players to play in the IPL. But there was no date to return. I am sure the BCCI will understand country must come first before IPL."
