Sri Lanka will be without Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal for the second Test against India in Colombo, while Pathum Nissanka remains a doubt. The hosts could be without three first-choice batters for a must-win Test after losing the series opener by 165 runs in Galle.
Sri Lanka head coach Gary Kirsten confirmed that Mendis will miss the Colombo Test after suffering a hamstring injury during the Lanka Premier League.
“Kusal Mendis has got a proper hamstring injury. He’s not going to be available for a while,” Kirsten said after Sri Lanka’s defeat in Galle.
“Nissanka as well and Dinesh [Chandimal] are also not available for the next Test. So, we’re missing a few guys from that perspective.”
Mendis’ absence is not new for Sri Lanka, with Niroshan Dickwella drafted into the Test squad as his replacement. Dickwella made the most of his opportunity in Galle, scoring 80 in the first innings.
Nissanka is recovering from wrist surgery, while Chandimal picked up a neck and shoulder injury while fielding during the first Test. Pasindu Sooriyabandara, who replaced Chandimal as a concussion substitute, was dismissed for a first-ball duck.
The injury concerns leave Sri Lanka with a major selection headache ahead of the second Test. They need a win in Colombo to level the two-match series after India took a 1-0 lead in Galle.
Despite the defeat, Kirsten was encouraged by the way his players responded to the demands of Test cricket. Sri Lanka’s loss to India was their second defeat in three Tests after they were beaten by the West Indies by an innings and 217 runs in North Sound, Antigua, in June.
“I’m particularly excited by being involved with Sri Lankan cricket. I think there’s some great players here, but the team still needs to develop. It is sometimes tough when you don’t play Test match cricket to understand how you need to play that,” Kirsten said.
“This is now our third Test match in the space of a couple of months and I can already see the team developing and we’re starting to build some shape into the team.
“But we need to be able to turn it into a performance at some point. But as I said, we’re kind of building that and developing that as best we can.”
Sri Lanka had been reduced to 99 for five in their first innings in Galle but fought back to take the Test into the fifth day. Kirsten felt the resistance shown by his team was one of the positives to take from the defeat.
“From being 99 for 5 at the beginning of the third day, to then taking the Test match into the afternoon of the fifth day was particularly pleasing. There was a bit of fight and that we were keen to try and stay in the Test match,” he said.
“We still believed even this morning that we could make something happen, either win the Test match or certainly draw it. So, I was really pleased with the energy and the attitude of the team around that.
“But I think if you look at the Test match, we battled with the bat, especially in our top order, in both innings and that probably cost us.”
Kirsten acknowledged that Sri Lanka’s injury problems could open the door for players waiting for their opportunity.
“So, we’re missing a few guys from that perspective but it creates a great opportunity for young players to come in and stake their claim. In fact, players that have got really good first-class records in this country. So it’s a good opportunity for them,” he said.
– Ends
