Sri Lanka host India in the second Test of the ongoing bilateral series at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo, starting from Sunday, August 23. India's overwhelming 165-run victory in the first Test has given them an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Sri Lanka will have to mount a strong comeback if they are to challenge India's hegemony. Traditionally, Sri Lanka are known to be dominant in home conditions, but that reputation has quietly slipped over the years. This time around, captain Dhananjaya de Silva has to rally his troops and motivate them to fight back in the second Test.
India were served well by spinner Manav Suthar, who picked up ten wickets across both innings in the first Test. Seen as a replacement for the all-rounder Axar Patel, Suthar has been in fine form in his young Test career. He was ably assisted by Ravindra Jadeja, who is also a left-arm spinner. With the bat, Devdutt Padikkal was the star for India with a century in the first innings. Drafted to bat at number three, the southpaw looked comfortable against both spin and pace, and used his feet well to get to the pitch of the ball and then play his shots.
Sri Lanka will be without senior batter Dinesh Chandimal, who could not walk out to bat in the second innings of the first Test due to concussion. Since he is ruled out, the Lankans will suffer a huge blow, because very few other batters in their side know how to play spin well, or are experienced enough at the international level. Captain de Silva will then have to lead from the front, and hope that Niroshan Dickwella, recalled to the side, retains his composure. Youngster Sonal Dinusha is one of the batters to watch out for after he showed his class with a century in the first innings and 84 in the second in Galle.
Predicted Teams
SL: Lahiru Udara,
Nishan Madushka,
Pasindu Sooriyabandara,
Kamindu Mendis,
Dhananjaya de Silva (c),
Sonal Dinusha,
Niroshan Dickwella (wk),
Keshara Nuwantha,
Prabath Jayasuriya,
Lahiru Kumara,
Asitha Fernando.
IND: Yashasvi Jaiswal,
KL Rahul,
Devdutt Padikkal,
Shubman Gill (c),
Rishabh Pant (wk),
Ravindra Jadeja,
Dhruv Jurel,
Manav Suthar,
Kuldeep Yadav,
Mohammed Siraj,
Prasidh Krishna.
Key Players
Sonal Dinusha (SL): Sonal Dinusha is one of the brightest talents to emerge in the Lankan batting unit of late. The Mahanama College graduate showed his composure at the crease across both innings in Galle, and will now be expected to continue in the same vein of form. Dinusha has the ability to pick the line and length of each delivery quickly, and this allows him to get into good positions to play his shots.
Rishabh Pant (IND): Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is the trump card for India. The explosive batter can tear into any bowling attack and rip it into shreds. Pant does not care for the reputation of bowlers at all, and is comfortable playing lofted shots all across the ground. His half-century in the second innings in Galle came at the right time, just when India were looking for quick runs before setting a target for the hosts to chase. Pant has become a safe bet behind the stumps, too.
Match Prediction
It will be hard for Sri Lanka to stop the Indian juggernaut. Chandimal's absence due to the ICC's rule not to allow players who have been substituted for concussion to play for the next seven days will also hurt Lanka's cause. The youth in the Lankan setup are not as well equipped to deal with spinners as the seniors, and this tips the balance in India's favour. With star batter Kusal Mendis ruled out with a hamstring injury as well, Sri Lanka will, in effect, be playing with a second-string batting unit, which will aid India's cause.