India will take on Sri Lanka A in a crucial three-day warm-up match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo from August 7 to 9. A full-strength squad, led by Shubman Gill, will face a Sri Lankan side with a good mix of youth and experience, with as many as seven players from the team that took on the visiting India A side in June-July featuring in the game.
India will be without Sai Sudharsan, who is expected to join the squad in Colombo only midway through the practice match. The left-handed batter, who scored a hundred in each of the two four-day matches for India A in Sri Lanka in June-July, has been recovering from a niggle in his foot.
With India missing Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar, the warm-up match will provide the team with a valuable opportunity to settle on their bowling combination. While Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack, the return of Ravindra Jadeja and the emergence of Manav Suthar hold the team in good stead. Off-spinner Saransh Jain, who has earned his maiden Test call-up, will also be keen to make a mark. The 33-year-old, who featured in the India A tour of Sri Lanka last month, took seven wickets across four innings.
All eyes, however, will be on the batting group, led by Gill. While India won their last two Test series in Sri Lanka in 2015 and 2017, the hosts have proved a formidable challenge for touring teams in recent years. With India also having lost two home Test series over the last two years, the spotlight has firmly been on the batters’ ability to negotiate spin.
With Prabath Jayasuriya expected to spearhead a well-drilled Sri Lankan spin attack in the Test series, India’s batters will be eager to get a feel for the conditions over the weekend.
Sri Lanka are yet to announce their squad for the two-Test series and are expected to do so after the warm-up match at the NCC Ground.
Sri Lanka A will be led by 25-year-old all-rounder Sonal Dinusha, who bowls left-arm orthodox spin. The squad also includes another left-arm spinner, Dilum Sudeera, who impressed against India A by taking 10 wickets, including a five-wicket haul, during the series in June-July.
India arrived in Colombo on August 4 and have already completed two training sessions, including one with the entire squad on the eve of the warm-up match.
From the looks of it, India are set to treat the warm-up fixture with the utmost seriousness. Head coach Gautam Gambhir delivered a fiery pep talk during one of the team’s training sessions in a video released by the BCCI.
“We know what is in front of us. We can do volume, we can push our limits, we can tick all the boxes and come 15th morning, whether we are batting first or bowling first we will be absolutely ready with every answer to every question thrown at us.
“So make sure to tick all the boxes from now on,” Gambhir exhorted his players in the video posted by the BCCI.
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH INDIA vs SRI LANKA A WARM-UP MATCH
- Action on Day 1 of the three-day warm-up match will begin at 10 am IST on Friday, August 7.
- Sony Sports Network will provide live television coverage of the match in India.
- Sony LIV will stream the warm-up match live in India.
IS THERE A RAIN THREAT FOR THE WARM-UP MATCH?
India trained on the eve of the warm-up match under cloudy skies, with the sun playing hide and seek. Showers are forecast throughout the day in Colombo. Here’s the BBC forecast for Friday.
INDIA vs SRI LANKA A: WARM-UP MATCH SQUADS
India: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sai Sudharsan (subject to fitness), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi.
Sri Lanka XI: Nishan Madushka, Ravindu Rashantha, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Pavan Rathnayake, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Sonal Dinusha (Captain), Anjala Bandara (WK), Nipun Dananjaya, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Asanka Manoj, Isitha Wijesundara, Ramesh Mendis, Kesara Nuwantha, Dilum Sudeera.
– Ends
