Galle, Aug 15 (IANS) The Indian men’s cricket team celebrated the country’s 80th Independence Day by hoisting the Tricolour at their hotel on Saturday, before taking the field for the opening Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium.
The occasion carries extra significance for the visitors, as India has become the first Asian team and only the third side overall, after England and Australia, to play 600 Test matches.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Shubman Gill led the flag-hoisting ceremony, which was attended by all players and support staff members at the team hotel and was followed by singing the national anthem.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video of the gathering on social media, captioning it as, “On the occasion of Independence Day, #TeamIndia gathered at Galle to hoist the Tricolour ahead of the First #SLvIND Test.”
After electing to bat first against Sri Lanka, Gill had expressed immense pride in leading India in a landmark Test coinciding with Independence Day. “Very big honour for me, every time you get an opportunity to lead your country, and even more so special on this occasion. Independence Day for us and 600th Test match, so looking forward,” he said.
A similar opinion was expressed by left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav ahead of the clash. “Firstly, it’s a massive honour to be part of India’s 600th Test match on Independence Day. To be part of the 600, it’s a big feeling and very happy about that,” he said.
Currently sitting fifth in the World Test Championship 2025-27 standings with four wins from nine matches, India are aiming to collect crucial points from the series against Sri Lanka to stay in contention for the final, to be played at The Oval in June 2027.
–IANS
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