India vs Sri Lanka is set for a two-match test series. India will tour its neighbour Sri Lanka after ending a disastrous run in England. The Indian team is moving on towards the test matches; the first match will be played from 15th August in Galle, and the next and last match of the tour will be played from 23rd August in Colombo. India’s performance under Gautam Gambhir’s coaching has remained under the lens, especially after the last outing in England, where India also lost to Ireland, which has opened a widespread conversation. Sri Lanka series is going to be one of the important series before tough assignments coming.  

Indian Test side is meant to play a warm-up Test series match against the local Sri Lankan XI; now it has been shortened by a day. The match, which was originally scheduled to be a four-day game now been shortened to a three-day game, beginning on 7th August. While announcing the squad, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had said: “Ahead of the series, the team will play a four-day practice match in Colombo, starting on August 7.”

Shubman Gill to lead India against Sri Lanka.
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Shubman Gill to lead India against Sri Lanka. । X/@criccrazyjohns

According to Cricbuzz, all parties involved, including the BCCI and Indian team management, have been notified of the change. The match is set to take place at the NCC Ground, located close to the SSC Stadium in Colombo. The exact reason for shortening the schedule is unknown.

Why is the India vs Sri Lanka series important?

India last played a Test match in June, that too against Afghanistan, which was not a part of the ongoing WTC cycle. India’s bad performances against Sri Lanka and New Zealand have already affected the points.

To secure the top spot, within the nine Tests left in the cycle, India needed to win seven, making a 2-0 victory in Sri Lanka extremely important before a difficult away series in New Zealand.

Injury concerns

India will be in Sri Lanka as favourites, but deep down the squad has not got the full-strength team and also does not have depth when it comes to bowling: Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Washington Sundar is set to miss the India vs Sri Lanka series.
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Washington Sundar is set to miss the India vs Sri Lanka series. । X/@criccentral

India is going to Sri Lanka with just three fast bowling options other than Jasprit Bumrah. Prashidh Krishna, Mohammad Siraj and recently debuted Gurnoor Brar are present in the squad. So, managing the workload will be crucial for the team.

India squad

Shubman Gill [C], KL Rahul [VC], Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant [WK], Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel [WK], Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain