India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test (Men), preview: KL Rahul’s comeback adds to selection woes; Dinesh Chandimal back at helm

The outcome of the opening Test underlined the difference between the No. 1 and No. 7 teams. Shikhar Dhawan’s defiance and Cheteshwar Pujara’s repression left Sri Lanka flummoxed on the first two days. The bowlers then compliment the already half-done job by the batting unit, throttling the hosts below 300 in both innings. India eventually blotted them out by 304 runs, taking a 1-0 lead.

The Colombo Test will be nothing but a test of character for the lowly Sri Lankans who, a year before, had blanked the Australians 3-0.

One more defeat, and they will take another step towards regression as well as lose the series.

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“KL [Rahul] has been our established opener. So, I think one of the openers will have to make way for KL, because what he has done in the past two years has been very solid and he deserves to come back and start fresh in Test cricket again,” said Kohli ahead of the second Test.

That is easier said than done. Even though Rahul is given a nod, who will the team management bench?

Dhawan’s 190 was a reminiscence of his debut innings, exuding both swag and thug. He had come in as a replacement for Rahul, while Abhinav Mukund, according to Kohli, was a first-choice opener. Mukund compiled only his second half-century in his seventh Test. However, Dhawan’s magnificence inflicted more pain on the Sri Lankans.

“We have a team meeting after the practice and we can clarify more after the meeting but according to me, KL is definitely coming back at the top order. It’s very important to make him feel secure, because he has given us the big performances when the team has required most. So, he is a guy that needs to be backed and we, as a team, and me, as a captain, back him 100 percent,” added Kohli.

Likely XI for India: Shikhar Dhawan/KL Rahul, Abhinav Mukund/KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami

Sri Lanka may engineer a three-spinner attack. Rangana Herath, who had sustained an injury in the Galle Test, is fit to play. He will deploy a spin unit with Dilruwan Perera and debutant Malinda Pushpakumara, a left-armer with an array of variations.

Malinda’s First-Class numbers speak volumes of his traits. In 99 games, he has taken 558 wickets at an incredible average of 19.85, including 44 five-wicket hauls.

Dinesh Chandimal, after a brief layoff from pneumonia, will be back at the helm. He will replace Asela Gunaratne who had fractured his left thumb. The captain also hinted that Dhananjaya de Silva is likely to be drafted in ahead of Lahiru Thirimanne.

Likely XI for Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (c), Angelo Mathews,  Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Malinda Pushpakumara, Nuwan Pradeep

Pitch

Virat Kohli confirmed that there is a lot of grass, but this one is expected to dry sooner and make the conditions easier to bat. However, the drier it gets the more it will assist spinners. In that case, batting last will be a herculean task.

Achievement in waiting

This will be Pujara’s 50th Test. He averages 52.18, including six 150-plus scores.

Jadeja, the No. 1 bowler, needs 2 more scalps to complete 150 wickets.

Ashwin, the No. 3 all-rounder, needs a mere 50 runs to reach 2,000 runs.

Kohli will play his 100th innings, and is one hundred away from surpassing VVS Laxman and Dilip Vengsarkar’s tally of hundreds.

Squads

India: Virat Kohli (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhinav Mukund, Shikhar Dhawan

Sri Lanka: Rangana Herath (c), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kusal Mendis (wk), Upul Tharanga (wk), Dimuth Karunaratne (wk), Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Malinda Pushpakumara

TIME: 04:30 GMT | 10:00 IST