IND V SL: Dasun Shanaka Likely To Be Added To Sri Lanka Test Squad – Reports

It is likely that Dasun Shanaka, the Sri Lanka T20 captain will be added to the Test squad as well for the upcoming two-match Test series against India which begins on March 4 with the first match to be played at the IS Bindra Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium in Mohali, Chandigarh.

Shanaka was recently featured in the 0-3 whitewash of the Sri Lankan team at the hands of Team India, and while, they failed as a unit, Shanaka was highly impressed with the bat in all three matches. He scored 47 off 19 in the second T20I and registered a career-high score of 74 in 38 deliveries in the final contest.

The 30-year-old last played in the longest format of the game during the home series against England in January last year. He has played six Tests thus far, including two against India during the 2017 tour. Shanaka suffered a poor series with the bat but scalped six wickets across three innings.

Dasun Shanaka Is In Mohali With The Sri Lanka Team: Reports

The team management of Sri Lanka has been seemingly impressed with the batting form of Shanaka and he has travelled with the visiting team to Mohali for the first Test between the two sides. Following the end of the first leg of the tour, members of the squad who were not part of Sri Lanka’s Test squad have returned to Colombo.

While Shanaka was not initially named in the Test squad, he was not among the players who landed in the Sri Lankan capital on Tuesday, March 1.

“Yes, Shanaka is in Mohali with the team. But officially, he hasn’t been added. He has a minor injury at the moment. It’s a call of the selectors and should also have approval from the sports ministry,” a source in the Sri Lanka team told InsideSport.

The first Test will take place in Mohali, while the second Test, a day-night affair, will be played in Bengaluru. India batter Virat Kohli will play his 100^th Test when the first match begins on March 4.

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