India have selected their squad for the Test series in and against Sri Lanka to be held later this year. The side is a predictable one, captained once again by Virat Kohli. There are no shocking omissions, with Harbhajan Singh continuing his comeback trail. The sole change in the squad is that of Amit Mishra replacing an injured Karn Sharma. Shiamak Unwalla feels that it is a side on expected lines with no glaring weaknesses.
Since India‘s tour of South Africa late in 2013, they have played just one Test in the subcontinent — a rain-marred draw against Bangladesh in June 2015. In this time, they have won a solitary Test at Lord’s, managed a few draws, but lost a large percentage of their games. They have finally returned to familiar conditions, but they will now play in statistically the least batsmen-friendly conditions in Asia. Since 2001, visiting batsmen have done the worst in Sri Lanka among all Asian countries. Let us look at how India’s squad could fare. ALSO READ: BCCI announces India squad for Sri Lanka tour
Batsmen: Led by skipper Virat Kohli, India boast of good players of spin. Shikhar Dhawan has shown he is comfortable against spin, while Murali Vijay can either cream the tweakers or hit them over the top as and when he pleases. Rohit Sharma is comfortable against spin as well. KL Rahul remains to be tested, but Cheteshwar Pujara still has a lot to prove after getting dismissed quite frequently against the likes of Moeen Ali and Nathan Lyon. ALSO READ: India would be keen to do well in Sri Lanka, says VVS Laxman
Bowlers: In Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, and Amit Mishra, India have a decent spin trio who can potentially cause some damage to the frail Sri Lankan batting. Ashwin is one of the best spinners in the world right now, and has bowled wonderfully of late. It is the backup spinners that leave a bit to be desired. That said, Yasir Shah’s enormous success against Sri Lanka in the recent series might tempt Kohli to play Mishra ahead of Harbhajan. ALSO READ: Virat Kohli to play 2nd unofficial Test between India A and Australia A
Overall verdict: India’s recent Test form is far from ideal. While it is not as bad as their plummet in 2011, they have failed to recreate the type of performances that made them the No. 1 ranked Test team in the world. Under Kohli, India’s aggressive brand of cricket has shown promise but he is yet to win a Test after three games. India will be in with a realistic chance of overthrowing Sri Lanka at home. They have the manpower to do so.
India squad for Sri Lanka Test series: Virat Kohli (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra.
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)
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