De Silva says Sri Lanka must score runs and take 20 wickets in SSC Test

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said in Colombo on August 22 that his team's focus for the second Test against India is on putting runs on the board and taking 20 wickets. “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).

De Silva acknowledged his side entered the second match trailing in the series and described the dressing-room mood as disappointed. He said Sri Lanka must play well from the start despite a relative lack of experience, adding that the squad contains considerable talent. The captain noted several players had contributed for both the Test side and the A team in recent months.

Assessing conditions for the SSC match, de Silva said the surface looked quite dry and predicted it would be good for batting during the first two days. He confirmed the team selection would retain the same balance used previously, opting for 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.”

De Silva was pictured during a practice session ahead of the second Test in Colombo on August 22, 2026. Photo Credit: PTI

The second Test between India and Sri Lanka is scheduled to commence at the SSC Ground on Sunday, August 23, 2026.