IND vs SL, 1st Test: Team India will embark on what will be their 600th Test, joining England and Australia as the teams to play that many matches in the format. With a pesky Sri Lankan side waiting in the wings at the Galle International Stadium in the series-opener, Shubman Gill and co. must get everything right from this tour to reach the World Test Championship (WTC) final. After a number of players put their hands up in the practice fixture, the tourists do face a selection headache. Who will break into the playing XI?
IND vs SL, 1st Test: Will Sarfaraz Khan break into the XI? Gurnoor Brar or Prasidh Krishna to partner Mohammed Siraj?
The visitors’ Top 4 seems to be penned down – Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal and Shubman Gill. Padikkal stood up with a flamboyant 142 in the first innings of the practice match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo. With B Sai Sudharsan unavailable due to injury, Padikkal ensured to grab the opportunity with both hands and has cemented his spot for the series-opener. While Rishabh Pant is likely to bat at No.5, there is widespread speculation about who will slot at No.6. Dhurv Jurel looked to be the contender to bat at that spot but his returns in the practice match along with Sarfaraz Khan’s inclusion to the squad means the latter has the opportunity to slot at that position.
As far as the visitors’ spin-bowling unit goes, Ravindra Jadeja remains a lock, given the batting cushion he provides. Uncapped player Saransh Jain remains unlikely, with Manav Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav looking like the frontrunners to take the remaining two spots as spinners. Mohammed Siraj, who has bowled tireless spells on multiple occasions should start as one of the pacers in the line-up but it remains to be seen who gets the nod for the second seamer between Gurnoor Brar and Prasidh Krishna. Both took two wickets in the match and possess similar attributes.
India Predicted XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna/Gurnoor Brar.
IND vs SL, 1st Test: When did Sri Lanka last beat India in a Test series?
The upcoming two-Test rubber is likely the most anticipated one in a long time between India and Sri Lanka. While India have had the upper hand against Sri Lanka in the last few years and haven’t lost a Test series to the Island nation since 2008, they are without some big names. The likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane have retired, while Jasprit Bumrah is out injured. Although only three players in Jadeja, Kuldeep and KL Rahul have played Test cricket in Sri Lanka before, the tourists have plenty of promising names coming with a potential of making an impact.
While India have been dealing with a plethora of injuries, Sri Lanka have also been dented with the same factor to key batters in Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis. Barring Prabath Jayasuriya, the hosts also have an inexperienced spin-bowling unit, meaning it will take some heavy lifting to beat the tourists.
