Rain forecast threatens India’s three-day warm-up against Sri Lanka XI in Colombo
India will take on a Sri Lanka XI in a three-day warm-up match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo from Friday, but rain, including heavy showers, is forecast from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon. That wet weather could curtail playing time and affect India’s preparation ahead of the first Test in Galle.
India’s squad named for the practice match includes Shubman Gill(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, Manav Suthar and Gurnoor Brar. Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, urged players to maximise practice time: "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 said in a video shared by the BCCI.
The article lists Sri Lankan names including Nishan Madushka(w), Nipun Dhananjaya, Ravindu Rashantha, Pavan Rathnayake, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Sonal Dinusha (captain), Anjala Bandara (wicketkeeper), Ramesh Mendis, Dilum Sudeera, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Isitha Wijesundera, Asanka Manoj and Kesara Nuwantha. The same report also states the Sri Lanka XI squad for the warm-up match is yet to be announced.
Weather forecasts predict heavy showers in Colombo from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon, a pattern the story says could reduce the amount of play during the three-day fixture. The piece repeats that intermittent rain may limit the teams’ chances to gain valuable practice before the Test series, emphasising the potential disruption to match preparation.
Jasprit Bumrah is ruled out because of injury, so Mohammed Siraj will lead India’s pace attack and be supported by Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain. The article notes that apart from Siraj and Kuldeep, the bowling group is relatively inexperienced and that the warm-up match will give those bowlers time to understand local conditions.
Gurnoor Brar and Saransh Jain arrive with recent confidence after impressive performances for India A against Sri Lanka A in Galle last month, the report states. The piece adds that several squad members will be experiencing red-ball cricket in Sri Lanka for the first time and that match conditions on Sri Lankan surfaces will offer better preparation than spin-only practice.
The report recalls India last toured Sri Lanka for a Test series in 2017 and says only KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja in the current squad have previously played Test cricket in Sri Lanka. It also records that India struggled against quality spin during their recent home Test series against New Zealand and South Africa.
Heavy showers expected from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon raise doubts over how much playing time both teams will get in Colombo before the first Test in Galle, potentially limiting the warm-up match’s role in final preparations for the two-Test series.
