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Sri Lanka National Cricket Team captain Dhananjaya de Silva has warned the India National Cricket Team against taking the hosts lightly in the two-match Test series. With the first Test set to begin in Galle on August 15, the hosts are preparing for a tough battle against India.
India and Sri Lanka have not faced each other in Test cricket since 2022, which means both teams will have plenty of work to do before the opening match. Their last meeting came in Bengaluru when India had crushed Sri Lanka by 238 runs in the day-night Test under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Amid this, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant and others eye big Test milestones vs SL.
Dhananjaya de Silva sends strong warning to India ahead of Galle Test
The India National Cricket Team has landed in Sri Lanka to play a Test series after nine years, and now excitement about the two-match Test series is not hidden from anyone, as the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) points are also at stake.
As Sri Lanka is currently in a better spot in the WTC standings, Dhananjaya de Silva has promised India to make the Test series interesting and exciting. De Silva explained that the lack of recent meetings between the two sides makes the series interesting.
He also expects the first Test to be a competitive match rather than an easy contest for either side in Galle. De Silva said at the pre-match press conference as quoted by ANI, "Both teams haven't met recently, but the analyzing part will be done before the series, and it will not be easy, but it will be a good match maybe.”
Sri Lanka captain drops big Galle pitch hint ahead of India Test; explains Niroshan Dickwella's selection
Meanwhile, the home captain shared that the Galle pitch should be good for batting in the first Test. He said this pitch could be different from the usual Galle surfaces, which often help spinners.
De Silva said at the venue, as quoted by The Hindu, “This will be a different pitch from the usual Galle surfaces. I feel this will help the batters a lot, although the rains have prevented the ground staff from putting in their best effort. But we should get good batting conditions.”
Well, the Sri Lanka captain said that wicketkeeping in Galle is difficult, so the team wanted its best wicketkeeper for the Test, as he explained their decision to bring back Niroshan Dickwella, who replaced the injured Kusal Mendis for the India Tests.
He said, “Galle is a tough place to keep wickets, and we have to get our best wicketkeeper on board.” Amid this, Ravichandran Ashwin makes big call on Sarfaraz Khan ahead of 1st Test vs Sri Lanka.
Dhananjaya de Silva reveals special Galle connection; drops hint on Keshara Nuwantha's Test debut
As Galle is hosting its 50th Test match, Dhananjaya de Silva has shared a special connection with the ground because he grew up playing cricket there and hopes to win the match against India.
De Silva also hinted that young off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha could make his Test debut in the first Test against India at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle.
He signed off by saying, “He is young and very promising. He has consistency with his line and length and looks a good prospect. He will be a good investment for the future.”
