Sri Lanka meet India in the first of a two-Test series in Galle, starting on Saturday, August 15. The day is very important for Indians. It is their Independence Day, marking the moment they were freed from British colonial rule in 1947.
Indian captain Shubman Gill has questions to answer in this series, as his team has not been in the best of form. India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship table. Unless they improve their performance drastically, they cannot hope to make it to the final. Even head coach Gautam Gambhir is under pressure after his repeated failure to deliver results in red-ball cricket.
The injury to top-order batter Sai Sudharasan has opened the door for Mumbai’s Sarfaraz Khan to make his way back into the squad. Khan is among the most prolific run-scorers in domestic cricket, and also has a century to his name in Test cricket. This opportunity will allow him to cement his spot in the playing XI. In the bowling department, India continue to miss Jasprit Bumrah due to injury, and in his stead, Mohammed Siraj is expected to take the reins.
As for Sri Lanka, the return of wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella for this Test has made the headlines. The southpaw used to be a regular in the Sri Lankan side until a few years ago before losing his spot. Now, under the captaincy of Dhananjaya de Silva, Dickwella has the chance of making the keeper’s spot his own.
However, he must contend with the likes of Nishan Madushka and Dinesh Chandimal, both of whom are expected to be in the playing XI as pure batters. The absence of regular wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis due to a hamstring injury means that Dickwella can take his time. Bowling all-rounder Ramesh Mendis will be the trump card for the Lankans, as he can disturb the Indians’ rhythm both with the bat and ball.
Predicted Teams
SL: Nishan Madushka, Lahiru Udara, Pasiru Sooriyabandara, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara.
IND: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (c), Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.
Key Players
Dhananjaya de Silva (SL): Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva is among the most talented in this current crop of players. The batting all-rounder is now an experienced hand, having already played 67 Tests and scored 13 centuries in them. The 34-year-old is in the prime of his career, and will be a hard nut to dislodge in the Sri Lankan middle-order. De Silva can also bring himself into the attack whenever he feels that he can do some damage with his handy off-breaks.
KL Rahul (IND): KL Rahul, one of the most stylish batters of this generation, will open the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal for India. Having scored a century in his last outing in this format, against Afghanistan, Rahul will be full of confidence. The Karnataka batter’s ability to use his feet to get to the pitch of the ball and then play it right under his eyes makes him stand apart. Rahul can also play as a wicketkeeper and don the big gloves if the need arises.
Match Prediction
Sri Lanka are an extremely hard team to defeat at home. hus, hey are the favourites against India, too. The Indians have been in poor form in red-ball cricket ever since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach. One of the biggest reasons for India’s poor showing is the lack of a solid number three batter who can bat for days without losing his composure. Moreover, the absence of Jasprit Bumrah due to injury will affect the Indian bowling unit.
