GWALIOR, May 11: It is very difficult, nay almost impossible, to get even a glimpse of the Sri Lankan cricketers in their hotel rooms. The security is tight. On the eve of their match against Pakistan in the Independence Cup here, the Lankan cricketers, who had their nets at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium the previous evening, decided to take it easy and stayed indoors.

Initially, they had plans to visit the Fort and to go to the museum. But, as the team members got up late in the morning, they dropped the idea of going out in the scorching May heat and preferred to rest at the hotel itself.

Having failing in the attempt to get a close look at the most feared opening batsman in the world at the moment, the next best thing was to catch him at the nets in the evening. Sanath Jayasuriya was among the first to pad up and bat at the nets.

It is rightly said of the Sri Lankan opener: Here comes Jayasuriya, run for shelter. At the nets, the dashing opener, who had put an end to at least one Indian cricketer's career after his Wills World Cup exploits, played seriously.And, as he was removing his pads, he spared a few minutes to answer a few queries. And, the first question one always wanted to ask this opening bat was: How did he always manage to connect the ball and hit it in the right direction?

He closed his eyes to go through the question in mind and then answered fluently: ``When I hit the ball, I really hit it hard. There is no way of half-hearted shots for me. I either hit them or leave them. There is no point in giving a half-hearted effort to anything in life. My principle is to give cent per cent in life and in cricket. That is the way I have been brought up.''

He was one of the most dangerous batsmen during the World Cup in India last year. His batting gave a new flair to the opening slot and changed the entire attitude of an opening batsman in the first 15 overs. Manoj Prabhakar would testify to that.

How did it come about, the decision to go after the bowlers in the very beginning?

``For me, reputation of a bowler has no meaning. Of course, I don't mean to disrespect them. It is just that I want to be the one dominating and not the bowler, whosoever he may be. In one-day cricket, especially, if you allow the bowler to get on top of you early, then you are gone for ever. You can never score runs if the bowler starts dictating to you. Therefore, before the bowler can even think of any plan to unsettle the batsman, I take the initiative. And it has worked on several occasions. It has failed as well. But that is part of taking risk in the game.''

Jayasuriya says he enjoys his new-found role of opening batsman, who goes after the bowlers right from the word go. Records show that the opener has given a new dimension to field limitations in the initial 15 overs of one-dayers.

Has the success of Wills World Cup made any difference to his batting or to his attitude towards the game?

``In fact, the World Cup success has only made me become more responsible. I know what the team, the skipper and the people in my country expect of me when I go to bat. I have to play keeping all these things in mind.''

What does he feel of the Independence Cup and the frequent exchange of tours between India and Sri Lanka?

``It is a good thing that the countries (India and Pakistan) meet more often on the cricket field. It gives us an opportunity to understand each other better and to play on different pitches more often. The Indians are scheduled to visit our country in two months' time. I am looking forward to that,'' he says, as he picks up the ball to bowl to his teammates at the nets.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.