ust love the unpredictable nature of T20 cricket

So, we are just hours away from the umpires calling ‘play' in the second edition of the Airtel Champions League T20. I can't wait to get into action as I love the game and the venue of the event this time — South Africa.

My favourite venue in South Africa is Centurion. I like the laid-back, chilled-out atmosphere with people sitting on the grass banks and the BBQs going all day. We've built a similar stadium in Sri Lanka's hill country called Pallakelle for the World Cup and hopefully we can create a similar atmosphere there too that the entire family can enjoy.

Of course, the other great thing about South Africa is the beauty of the countryside. There is something really special about being in Africa. It's very difficult to explain.

While everyone knows about the huge game parks full of big game, I also love the wild coastline especially along the Garden Route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.

Performance is key

As for the game, I just love the unpredictable nature of the T20 format.

Any team can be a winner on their day. Performance is the key no matter how big your reputation or famous your players.

The teams we will face certainly pose a big threat, but we've been practising extremely hard and we even came here a little early to get into the groove as quickly as possible.

Our advantage is that there are not too many first-timers to South Africa. Most of the lads have been here with the national team or with Sri Lanka ‘A'.

Our batsmen are conscious of the challenges and also the opportunities. They are aware that pitches in South Africa are great to play on and sub-continental players can thrive there because they have to do less work to get pace on the ball. The key is getting into a positive mindset that helps you make the necessary minor adjustments.

Even the recent games against India have helped as we, as a team, played a good amount of cricket.

The other day someone suggested that India-Sri Lanka could be the new dog-fight rivalry, given some stray incidents during the tour. I'd say: NO. To be honest there was more spice in the media reports than on the field.

Sri Lankan and Indian players have played so much together that we have excellent relations and that has not changed because of a couple of small incidents.

Anyway, it is time to clean the slate and start afresh, and this time it's gonna be in Africa.

See you there!