India tour: Second Test at Colombo set for Aug 23 after India win first Test by 165 runs
India and Sri Lanka will meet in the second Test of the Sri Lanka vs India Test series 2026 at Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo starting on Sunday, August 23, with the match scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM IST after India beat Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first Test to take a 1-0 lead.
India will aim to complete a 2-0 series whitewash, while Sri Lanka enter the match hampered by injuries to several top-order batters: Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka missed time earlier in the series and Dinesh Chandimal was unable to bat in the second innings of the first Test and will miss the second Test.
Historically, the two sides have met 47 times in Test cricket, with India winning 23 matches, Sri Lanka seven and 17 fixtures ending in draws.
Weather forecasts for Colombo predict rain in the coming days, temperatures around 28-30°C and average humidity between 75 and 80 percent; the pitch at the Sinhalese Sports Club is expected to favour bowlers early, offering assistance to fast bowlers with the new ball before slowing and bringing spinners into play after the first two days.
Sri Lanka's available squad listed in the article reads: Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Sahan Arachchige, Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Pasindu Sooriyabandara. India's XI provided is: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
The Dream11 suggestions included wicket-keepers Rishabh Pant and Niroshan Dickwella; batters Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal; and all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sonal Dinusha, Keshara Nuwantha and Manav Suthar. Captain and vice-captain recommendations listed Ravindra Jadeja (first-choice captain) and Devdutt Padikkal (second-choice captain), with Dhananjaya de Silva (first-choice vice-captain) and Keshara Nuwantha (second-choice vice-captain). A secondary Dream11 grouping in the article named wicket-keepers Rishabh Pant and Lahiru Udara; batters Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal; all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Dhananjaya de Silva, Manav Suthar, Keshara Nuwantha and Manav Suthar (duplicated); with Manav Suthar suggested as first-choice captain and vice-captain in that set, Shubman Gill as second-choice captain and KL Rahul as second-choice vice-captain.
Given Sri Lanka's reduced batting resources as outlined above, the article backs India to win the second Test. The second Test will be played from August 23-27, 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.