IND vs SL Match Preview-Sri Lanka Tour of India 2022, 1st Test 

The T20 series between India and Sri Lana is done and dusted and the focus now shifts to the upcoming Test series. The first Test match between India and Sri Lanka is scheduled to be played at IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. Heading into the game, here’s a look in detail at how these two teams shape up.

The upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka will mark the start of the Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid Era in Test Cricket. Rohit Sharma will be leading India for the first time in Test Cricket and he would look to start on a positive note.

IND vs SL Match Preview-Sri Lanka Tour of India 2022, 1st Test

India:

Given that KL Rahul isn’t part of the squad due to injury, Rohit Sharma is likely to open the innings alongside Mayank Agarwal. It is worth mentioning that the likes of Rahane, Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, and Ishant Sharma have been dropped. Thus, we could see players like Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari getting chances. In the absence of Pujara, Virat Kohli could be promoted to number three.

For those of you who don’t know, the upcoming Test match will be Virat Kohli’s 100^th Test. He would be keen to end his century drought on the special occasion. It is still not clear whether Ravichandran Ashwin is fully fit to play the first Test. If not then, Jayant Yadav could share the spin bowling duties with Ravindra Jadeja. India could also go with 3 spinners with Kuldeep Yadav also being part of the squad.

In the pace bowling department, India opted to pick all four mainstays, namely Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Umesh Yadav. The pitch here at Mohali offers more help to the spinners and thus you could see only two pacers being part of the playing XI.

Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka are coming into this series on the back of a 2-0 win in their last Test series against West Indies. They would look to take some confidence out of that series win. However, to replicate a similar result against India in their own backyard, it’s almost impossible. India have not lost a Test series at home in their last 14 series and Sri Lanka would be warry of that.

In Dimuth Karunaratne, they have an outstanding captain. He was the highest run-scorer in the last Test series against West Indies. Pathum Nisssanka and Dhananjaya de Silva were the second and third on the list. Once again, the onus will be on these three as far as the batting department is concerned.

In Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, they have a good amount of experience. Both will strengthen the batting unit. For the unversed, Suranga Lakmal will be playing the last Test series of his international career. He will share the fast bowling duties alongside Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara. The spin-bowling department, on the other hand, consists of the likes of Praveen Jayawickrama, Lasith Embuldeniya, and Jeffrey Vandersay.