From the incandescent natural beauty that Galle offered, Shubman Gill’s men have moved to the bustling metropolis that Colombo has always been. This multilingual city and a maritime junction, both for ancient and modern trade routes, was vital to Ceylon then and is equally critical to Sri Lanka now.
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Leading 1-0 and stepping into the second Test commencing at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Sunday (August 22, 2026), India holds the edge over Sri Lanka. The 165-run triumph at Galle will hold the visitors in good stead, a victory shaped by two young players — Devdutt Padikkal and Manav Suthar.
The pitch was a dull brown on match-eve, and fringed by the green outfield and rolled-up covers just in case it rained. Initial purchase for batters and later bonanzas for spinners, are the usual tropes associated with cricketing turfs in the Emerald Isle. And this surface will be no different.
In a batting unit that leant heavily on vice-captain K.L. Rahul and his Karnataka mate Padikkal, it is also time for Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Gill to join the party. Dhruv Jurel has done his bit in the middle-order and Rishabh Pant has been his robust self.
Even if Ravindra Jadeja offers batting solidity in the lower-order, India has a fragile tail, and it leaves the job of scoring runs entirely on the specialist batters. Countering the Sri Lankan spinners under shimmering heat that is intrinsic to the venue, will be a test of patience and technique.
Among the bowlers, Mohammed Siraj remains the spearhead with Prasidh Krishna having effected breakthroughs at Galle. While the spin-department is sorted with Suthar and Jadeja, there could be a swap between Kuldeep Yadav and Saransh Jain in the playing eleven. The latter’s off-spin could come in handy against left-handed batters.
For Sri Lanka, the fixture offers a chance to draw level in the series. Dinesh Chandimal, dealing with a concussion, will be missed in a batting order that is a touch short on experience. But the way Sonal Dinusha batted in the first Test, offered hope. At Galle, in the second innings, he was casually sitting on the side-wall, soaking in the sun, and awaiting his turn to bat.
Dinusha’s senior colleagues have to contribute as Sri Lanka needs big runs to exert scoreboard-pressure on India. A Test debut for Kamil Mishara is on the cards. The southpaw blitzed an unbeaten 145 in a recent domestic T20, but against India and in a Test, he would have to temper that innate aggression with caution.
The bulk of the home attack will lean on spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Keshara Nuwantha. Their interrogation of the Indian batters would be the key that would determine how this game will proceed.
Gill’s men have ticked most of the boxes on this tour. They landed early, had a warm-up game, pocketed the Test at Galle, and in their last week in Sri Lanka, want to retain the feel-good factor. Sri Lanka, though, is keen on an ambush.
The teams (from):
India: Shubman Gill (captain), K.L. Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain.
Sri Lanka: Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Sahan Arachchige, Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella (wicket-keeper), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Milan Rathnayaka, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando.
Play starts at 10 a.m. IST.
Published – August 22, 2026 06:47 pm IST
