Rex Clementine in Mohali

Not often do you find a Sri Lankan team opting for three quicks in a Test match in India. But this is Mohali, the northernmost Test cricket ground in India and captain Dimuth Karunaratne admitted that his team will be adopting horses for courses strategy. It’s quite chilly in Mohali with temperature at 15 degrees Celsius when some members of the Sri Lankan team opted for an optional training session. That was at 1:30pm.

The game gets underway early as well at 9:30 am and the gloomy conditions will favour seam bowlers and captains would be tempted to bowl first. Don’t expect batsmen to have nightmares like in Headingley though as the pitch has been flat in recent years. But there will be some assistance for quicks and if you get Rohit Sharma early, the Indian middle order is vulnerable with Virat Kohli not in the best form.

Kohli will be featuring in his 100th Test match today but there weren’t any signs at the ground to suggest that they were going to mark the occasion in style. Maybe the former Indian captain has burnt too many bridges. But whatever it may be, the occasion should be appropriately celebrated for Kohli has been not just a modern day great but one of the finest batsmen the game has seen.

There was confirmation from Dimuth Kuarnaratne that Dushmantha Chameera will not feature in the game. Given the amount of cricket he has played in the last three weeks, Chameera has been given a break with expectation that he will feature in the pink ball Test match in Bangalore. But if he doesn’t feature in the second Test, that’s indication of impending Test retirement. Lasith Malinga has set us excellent standards.

Suranga Lakmal and Vishwa Fernando will be the ideal pair to seam the ball around in helpful conditions. They will be backed up by Lahiru Kumara’s express pace although there are concerns whether the country’s fastest bowler is fit to play Test match cricket. The reason being that in the last three years, he has broken down during a Test match letting  Sri Lanka feel the heat. It happened in Brisbane in 2019, at Centurion in 2020 and Pallekele in 2021. If it happens in 2022, that means the selectors have not done their home work.

Niroshan Dickwella returns to the side as wicketkeeper having served a suspension and he will take on the wickcetkeeping duties from Dinesh Chandimal. It’s a strange feeling that when you realize that Dickwella, a player ideally suited for T-20 cricket is our Test wicketkeeper and Chandimal, a Test match player is keeping in T-20s!

It will be also Sri Lanka’s 300th Test match and fans will be hoping that the team makes it a memorable one.

Sri Lanka have never won a Test match in India and have been completely outplayed over the years. The tourists have shown some improvement in Test cricket in recent years. They will miss off-spinner Ramesh Mendis who is injured.

Kusal Mendis has not recovered in time after sustaining a hamstring injury. Angelo Mathews is expected to bat at number four with Charith Asalanka moving to number six.

Although India’s batting is thin on experience, their bowling is formidable and it will be a tough challenge for Sri Lanka.