Published: Aug 03, 2017, 08:30 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 03, 2017, 03:38 PM (IST)
Hello and welcome to CricketCountry’s live coverage of the second Test between India Men and Sri Lanka Men at Colombo. I am Vishal Mehra. Just like the preceding days, I will bring you live updates and interesting tweets throughout Day One. After thrashing Sri Lanka in the first Test by a whopping 304-run margin, India will look to seal the series. On the other hand, Sri Lanka have made a few changes to their squad and will be bolstered by the return of regular skipper Dinesh Chandimal. But the bigger question still remains: Will Sri Lanka match the mighty Indians and curb their form? India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test (Men), preview Virat Kohli and co. could not have hoped for a better start to their tour of Sri Lanka. Shikhar Dhawan stepped into the XI at the last moment, and smashed a brilliant 190 to lay the foundation. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Hardik Pandya stood up and followed suit. India piled up 600 and then earned a massive 309-run lead, and eventually emerged victorious without being put in a spot of bother. However, ahead of the second Test, India face a selection issue at the top. With KL Rahul’s return to fitness, Abhinav Mukund is likely to face the axe. Mukund scored a handy 81 in the second innings, but will be overlooked in front of Dhawan’s impactful ton. Achievements in waiting This will be Pujara’s 50th Test. He averages 52.18, including 6 scores in excess of 150. Ravindra Jadeja, the No. 1 bowler in the world, needs 2 scalps to complete 150 wickets. Ravichandran 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, 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: Dinesh Chandimal (c), Rangana Herath, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kusal Mendis (wk), Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Malinda Pushpakumara.
