Runs on the board and rival wickets, is the template that Dhananjaya de Silva will chase when the second Test commences at the SSC Ground on Sunday (August 23, 2026). “It’s about putting runs on the board. That’s what India did [at Galle]. For the first two days they batted and got 460 runs. We are trying to improve and get some runs and take 20 wickets,” the Sri Lankan captain told the media on Saturday (August 22).

Also read | Coach Gambhir says focus is on winning 2nd Test, not on WTC

Looking ahead, he said: “We are one down, and we are disappointed. Here we need to play well from the outset. Even though we are short on experience, we have a lot of talent. A lot of players have performed well in the Test team and the A team. The pitch is quite dry and will be good for batting in the first two days. In terms of combination, we will have the same — two seamers and two spinners.”

The host skipper revealed that Kamil Mishara will make his Test debut: “He scored a hundred in a T20 last week; if you followed him in the last few months, he has scored well. We are also looking at a left-arm pacer, maybe Vishwa Fernando.”