A confident Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, will be eyeing a 2-0 sweep against injured Sri Lanka in the second and final Test in Bengaluru in the two-Test series, which will be played under lights. From Saturday.
India are looking to win their 14th series in the longest format since a 2-1 loss to England in 2012 and will be looking to capture their 15th consecutive series at home.
Since it is a pink ball competition, either re-fit spin all-rounder Axar Patel or pacer Mohammad Siraj can replace Jayant Yadav in the playing XI as both have the potential to cause more damage in the pink ball game.
ahead of the critical #PAKvAUS And #INDvSL Test match, what is it? #wtc23 looks like a standing table https://t.co/ek6BZAqQWs pic.twitter.com/CgkXD9zZ7v
— ICC (@ICC) 11 March 2022
Akshar wreaked havoc with his undercutter in his last Pink Ball Test against England in Ahmedabad, taking 11 wickets in that match. He opened the attack in England’s second innings as well. However, if grass is left on the pitch, Siraj will be a better option for skipper Rohit Sharma.
No further changes are likely in the playing XI, though it will be interesting to see if Hanuma Vihari is given another chance to bat at number three. Rohit had said that it is not certain that Vihari will have the slot.
Sri Lankan Struggle: Their resources are not enough to challenge the talent already in the Indian team. Sri Lanka will be without pacer Lahiru Kumara, who has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
To make matters worse for the touring team, Pathum Nissenka, who scored an unbeaten 61 in the first innings in Mohali, has been ruled out of the pink-ball Test with a back injury.
Fast bowler Dushmantha Chamira, who did not play in the first match due to injury, was also unavailable while fellow pacer Lahiru Kumara injured his hamstring on the first day in Mohali.
Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne told reporters on Friday, “Injuries have been a matter of great concern for us.
“We have few bowlers and we need 20 wickets to win a Test. So it is very difficult to win against a team like India.”
India’s last home Test in 2022: This will be the last Test match on home soil for Team India in 2022. The Sri Lankan series is followed by seven more Test matches in the current WTC cycle. The team will travel to Bangladesh for a two-match series and then Australia will arrive in 2023 for four Tests.
For both Sri Lanka and India, this will be their fourth day-night Test and both have the same record of two wins and one loss.
Squad:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Jayant Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Kona India (wk) , Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, Priyank Panchal
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Dhanajaya de Silva, Charit Aslanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Lasith Embuldeniya, Vishwa Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Lahiru Kumara, Kusal Mendis (wk), keeper ), Pathum Mendis (wk), Vandersay, Praveen Jayavikrama, Chamika Karunaratne