India vs Sri Lanka A: Three-day warm-up in Colombo from August 7
India will take on Sri Lanka A in a three-day warm-up match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo from August 7 to 9. A full-strength Indian squad, captained by Shubman Gill, will face a Sri Lanka A side that blends youth and experience.
India will be without Sai Sudharsan at the start of the match, with the left-handed batter expected to join the squad in Colombo only midway through the practice game as he recovers from a niggle in his foot; Sudharsan scored a hundred in each of the two four-day matches for India A in Sri Lanka in June-July. With Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar unavailable, the warm-up offers a chance to settle on the bowling combination: Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack while Ravindra Jadeja returns and Manav Suthar has emerged as an option. Off-spinner Saransh Jain, who has earned his maiden Test call-up, took seven wickets across four innings on the India A tour of Sri Lanka last month.
The batting group, led by Gill, faces particular scrutiny given the recent context: India won their last two Test series in Sri Lanka in 2015 and 2017, but the hosts have proved a strong challenge for touring sides in recent years and India have lost two home Test series over the last two years, placing emphasis on the batters' ability to negotiate spin. Prabath Jayasuriya is expected to spearhead Sri Lanka's spin attack in the Test series, making the warm-up an opportunity for India's batters to get a feel for local conditions over the weekend.
Sri Lanka A will be led by 25-year-old all-rounder Sonal Dinusha, who bowls left-arm orthodox spin; the squad includes Dilum Sudeera, who impressed against India A by taking 10 wickets, including a five-wicket haul, during the series in June-July. As many as seven players from the team that took on the visiting India A side in June-July are set to feature in the game.
India: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sai Sudharsan (subject to fitness), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi. Sri Lanka XI: Nishan Madushka, Ravindu Rashantha, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Pavan Rathnayake, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Sonal Dinusha (Captain), Anjala Bandara (WK), Nipun Dananjaya, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Asanka Manoj, Isitha Wijesundara, Ramesh Mendis, Kesara Nuwantha, Dilum Sudeera.
India arrived in Colombo on August 4 and have completed two training sessions, including one with the entire squad on the eve of the warm-up match; head coach Gautam Gambhir delivered a fiery pep talk during one of the team's training sessions in a video released by the BCCI. "We know what is in front of us. We can do volume, we can push our limits, we can tick all the boxes and come 15th morning, whether we are batting first or bowling first we will be absolutely ready with every answer to every question thrown at us. "So make sure to tick all the boxes from now on," Gambhir exhorted his players in the video posted by the BCCI.
Sri Lanka are yet to announce their squad for the two-Test series and are expected to do so after the warm-up match at the NCC Ground. Showers are forecast throughout the day in Colombo.