Calm, chilled and selfless: captain Asalanka steps into Sri Lanka cricket's melee

His, you suspect, will be a lighter touch than that of, say, Hasaranga, who took the captaincy by the collar and attempted to shake some life out of it. It's hard to imagine Asalanka abusing an umpire and landing himself a two-match suspension, or showing so much dissent at a decision upon his return that he cops another two-match ban and has to unretire from Tests to absorb.

An arm around the shoulder of a struggling batter, team meetings where consensus is valued, and a pointedly-joyful celebration of a wicket a team-mate has been straining to get - these seem like the Asalanka moves. There is selflessness there, but also a sturdy sense of self. He knows he belongs. He doesn't find himself constantly having to prove it.

Is it what Sri Lanka need right now? It's hard to say, really. He inherits the captaincy of a team that is very clearly now attempting to relive glories they do not currently seem capable of, if we're being frank. The batting has been in a long-term decline, with Asalanka and Pathum Nissanka the only players in the top order to operate with some semblance of consistency in T20Is.

It is largely on the batting order's shoulders that repeated nosedives in T20 World Cups, and that gradually-worsening ranking in the format may be dumped. It's worth remembering that between 2009 and 2014, Sri Lanka made the semi-final of the T20 World Cup on all four occasions, and reached the final three times. They were No. 1 for a stretch there too.

Now, their new captain has to plug leaky holes all over the top order. Asalanka may have to reintegrate the likes of Avishka Fernando and former captain Chandimal back into the top five. He has got to ensure Sri Lanka's middle order does not succumb so meekly to high-quality wristspin as they so often have over the last several years. And he has got to find firepower lower down, where Dasun Shanaka has been conspicuously modest in internationals for well over a year now.

Asalanka will thankfully be on firmer ground on the bowling front. Some of the sheen of the Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana duo has faded in the past 12 months, but they remain formidable. And Sri Lanka have arguably never had deeper fast bowling reserves. Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara have been ruled out of the upcoming series against India, but you imagine Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka - their replacements - could easily have made the original squad if discussions around the selectors' table had taken a slightly different turn.

The Sri Lanka men's captaincy is a vexed thing. Has been for years. It has taken all types, spat out all types, ended some careers, sent others into decline, produced chaos in industrial quantities, and hilarity almost as often (Remember when Mathews was dumped as captain for allegedly running too many partners out?). We're not in poisoned chalice territory just yet. But it has started to feel like a curse needs to be cast off. There has been a pattern: first the captain's own performance tends to enter decline, then the whole team does.

First up for Asalanka is one of the most difficult assignments in his sport. It would be unfair to expect Sri Lanka's team to stun even a somewhat-depleted India. But some fight, some form for the batters, a decent series of catching, close games - these will feel like victories even if victories proper do not come.

Sri Lanka fans have been burned on hope before, so perhaps it is wise to manage expectations, and stay tight on the tangibles: Asalanka has all the credentials of a captain who could potentially turn things around.