Sri Lanka will take on hosts India in the 1st of 2 Tests at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali from the 4th to the 8th of March. The Tests hold special significance as it will be Sri Lanka’s 300th and Virat Kohli’s 100th Test.
Past Record
Sri Lanka are yet to win a Test IN India, so that will definitely be on Sri Lanka’s bucket list, particularly because of how well they performed the last time they were there.
Head-to-head – Overall
- Played – 44
- India – 20
- Sri Lanka – 7
- Draws – 17
Head-to-head – in India
- Played – 20
- India – 11
- Sri Lanka – 0
- Draws – 9
Team composition
Sri Lanka’s batting has been of major concern in all formats over the past few years, but fortunately, the Test side has been showing some improvement in the recent past.
Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva all made big runs in the team’s last Test series, vs the West Indies in December 2021, while Angelo Mathews also hinted at some form during the same series. Lahiru Thirimanne missed the two Tests vs West Indies but was prolific in his new role as opener in 2021. Of course, they will be coming up against one of the best bowling line-ups in the World, which seemingly has no weak link.
With the return of Thirimanne, expect right-hander Pathum Nissanka to drop down to No. 3, while there’s a massive likelihood that Niroshan Dickwella will return to the side for the 1st time since the Durham debacle – a welcome return one would think, considering the type of form the left-hander was in, prior to the ban.
That leaves just the one vulnerable spot, with either Dinesh Chandimal or Charith Asalanka set to slot in at No. 6. Chandimal of course has the better pedigree in Tests but has looked out of form in whites of late, while Asalanka has just 1 Test under his belt.
On the bowling front, Sri Lanka will miss the services of off-spinner Ramesh Mendis dearly, especially since he did offer some assurance with the bat as well. If Karunaratne’s pre-match presser is anything to go by, Sri Lanka will go in with 3 quicks and the solitary spinner in Lasith Embuldeniya, with DDS expected to do a bit of bowling as well.
Suranga Lakmal’s new ball partner is yet to be decided, with left-arm pacer Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara the likely candidates to take up that spot; Dushmantha Chameera is likely to be rested, considering what a big load he has carried in limited overs cricket in the last couple of months. The thinking seems to be to have all bases covered, left arm medium, right arm medium, right arm fast, left arm spin and the off-spin of DDS.
On the Indian end of things, all eyes will be on newly appointed skipper Rohit Sharma and his predecessor Virat Kohli. The Sharma-Dravid era has begun well in white ball cricket but is yet to take off in the longer format.
With growing criticism around Kohli’s century drought, the aggressive right-hander will want to put the icing on his 100th Test with a ton to end his lean period and the added bonus of getting to 8000 test runs.
India’s spin twins Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin will return after a short layoff from Tests, while Hanuma Vihari should slot in at No. 5 or 6 in a 6 batter, 5 bowler line-up.
Probable XIs
Sri Lanka
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Suranga Lakmal, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Lasith Embuldeniya
India
Rohit Sharma (c), Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Key Players
For Sri Lanka, Dimuth Karunaratne will be the one who will have to hold the batting together. The left hander has 3 centuries, including a double in his last 4 Tests and will be looking to get his 2022 off to a good start. The skipper will also want to improve his record in India, where he is averaging 15 in 3 Tests.
In the bowling department, spearhead Lakmal, in his last series for Sri Lanka will need to make the breakthroughs, but a lot will rest on the shoulders of young Embuldeniya, the lone front-line spinner in the side.
There are some big names in the Indian line-up, which will have a full-strength squad to pick from, but you can’t really look beyond the big 5 in Sharma, Kohli, Jadeja, Bumrah and Ashwin.
Shreyas Iyer, who Sri Lanka just could not dismiss in the T20Is, will be another Sri Lanka will be worried about.
Conclusion
No doubt, Sri Lanka will want to create history with their 1st win on Indian soil in this Test, but whether they can cope with the star power of this highly successful Indian side is something we will have to wait and see.
As it stands, Sri Lanka are also at the top of the World Test Championship after just 2 Tests, so they will want to do everything in their power to stay at the top, while India, currently in 5th place, will want to begin their climb to the top.