There is no hiding place for Sri Lanka at the SSC.
With three of their most experienced batsmen missing, a young and largely untested batting line-up has been asked to stand up against an Indian attack that has already exposed their weaknesses once in this series.
Sri Lanka enter the second Test today 1-0 down and with little margin for error. Dinesh Chandimal’s concussion has added to the absence of Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka, leaving captain Dhananjaya de Silva and wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella as the senior hands in a batting order that suddenly looks remarkably young.
The changes, however, bring opportunity.
Kamil Mishara is set to make his Test debut, and the left-hander has done enough in recent months to suggest that he deserves his chance. His 174 against New Zealand A in a four-day match showed he can occupy the crease and build a substantial innings. His 145 off just 72 balls for NCC and 411 runs in the LPL underline his ability to score quickly as well.
Now comes the harder part: doing it against India in a Test match.
Mishara is expected to open with Lahiru Udara, who himself has only four Tests behind him. It is an opening combination lacking experience, but Sri Lanka are hoping youth can bring energy rather than anxiety.
“Even though we are short on experience we have a lot of talent,” Dhananjaya said. “These are the best 13 or 14 in the country.”
Pasindu Sooriyabandara is another player thrust into the spotlight. His first-ball dismissal in Galle, on debut as Chandimal’s concussion replacement, hardly offered a fair introduction. His domestic record, however, suggests there is much more to him. Nearly 4,900 first-class runs at an average above 53 cannot simply be ignored.
And then there is Sonal Dinusha.
If Sri Lanka are searching for encouragement, they need look no further than the young all-rounder’s performance in Galle. His century and 84 showed patience, judgement and a willingness to take the fight to India’s spinners. For a player only four Tests into his career, it was a performance that demanded attention.
But Sri Lanka cannot expect Dinusha to carry the batting again.
Kamindu Mendis is perhaps the biggest concern. His spectacular introduction to Test cricket, with 1,110 runs and five centuries in his first 10 matches, raised expectations enormously. Since then, the returns have been modest, with only 359 runs in his last seven Tests.
India, by contrast, have fewer questions to answer.
Their 165-run victory in Galle gave them control of the series, while Devdutt Padikkal’s 167 announced his return to Test cricket in emphatic fashion. Yashasvi Jaiswal remains a constant threat, KL Rahul brings stability, and Rishabh Pant can turn a quiet session into a damaging one in the space of a few overs.
Then comes the spin.
Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar made life uncomfortable for Sri Lanka in Galle, and India have further options in Kuldeep Yadav and Saransh Jain.
Sri Lanka’s bowling, meanwhile, is likely to remain largely unchanged. Keshara Nuwantha’s four wickets on debut was a significant positive, while Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara will carry the pace burden.
But the biggest battle may be in Sri Lanka’s dressing room rather than on the pitch.
They need their inexperienced batsmen to believe they belong at this level.
India have already shown what happens when they don’t.
Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Lahiru Udara, 2 Kamil Mishara, 3 Kamindu Mendis, 4 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt.), 5 Sonal Dinusha, 6 Pasindy Sooriyabandara 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Keshara Nuwantha, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Lahiru Kumara
India (probable) 1 KL Rahul, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Shubman Gill (capt.), 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Manav Suthar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna
