Colombo, Aug 23 (IANS) Off-spin bowling all-rounder Saransh Jain has been handed his debut as India won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground here on Sunday.
India are having a 1-0 lead in the two-game series after winning the first Test in Galle by 165 runs. After winning the toss for the second consecutive time, skipper Shubman Gill said Saransh replaces left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who misses out due to an infection.
In the team huddle, Indore-based Jain got his debut cap from senior spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. “It looks like a much harder, much better surface compared to Galle. Galle was also a very good wicket, but I think as the game went on, it got a little bit slower and the ball started to turn. We’re expecting the same, but I think for the first two or three days, I think it’ll be a really good wicket to bat on.
“I would say probably a nine (out of ten for win in Galle), because there’s always room for improvement, and I think we played a pretty good match, a decent match. Obviously there were some areas where we could have got a little bit better, but, you know, this is Test cricket.
“It’s very, very difficult to be able to have a near-perfect game because you’re playing for five days, and to play that dominant and consistent cricket, especially in Test, is hard. But I think overall we had a pretty good match,” said Gill.
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said Kamil Mishara and Pasindu Sooriyabandara are making their debut in the format. Sooriyabandara had previously been a concussion substitute in Galle after Dinesh Chandimal suffered neck and shoulder injuries while fielding.
“Yes, of course, as Shubman said, it’s quite harder than Galle. I thought it’s good for batting, and I don’t mind it bowling because, cloud covers, maybe we can strike early and put them under pressure. Well, as I said, we had to strike early when we’re bowling and when batting, not losing wickets early, keep the scoreboard ticking and get runs on the board,” he said.
Playing XIs:
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, and Asitha Fernando
–IANS
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