Sri Lanka host India in grueling tour: First warm up match on July 21
Sri Lanka will gear for the near two-month home tour against India with a 2-day warm up match on the cards by the President’s XI against Virat Kohli’s charges on July 21 and 22 at the BRC grounds. While it will give the locals an initial feel of the Indians, it will also be the ground for the national selectors headed by Sanath Jayasuriya to watch player performances.
Sri Lanka will meet India in 3 Tests and 5 ODIs and 1 T20 in what by all accounts will be a grueling hurdle of getting the better of one of the major forces in contemporary world cricket. India is the No.1 Test team, No.3 in ODIs, and 5th in T20s as against Sri Lanka’s 7th in Tests and 8th in ODIs and T20s. Indeed, it will be a comparatively broad handicap Sri Lanka will be looking to bridge considering the all-round player depth India enjoy. The two sides have eight days as from Thursday July 20 before getting down to big business when the first test begins on Wednesday July 26 at the Galle International Stadium. While the grueling Test win against Zimbabwe will be a morale booster for the Sri Lankans, new captain Dinesh Chandimal will of course, will be well aware that India is an altogether different kettle of fish his team will be taking on. With Kohli, the worlds No.1 Test batsman leading from the front, indeed Chandimal will need to muster his charges to get hundred per cent commitment in all departments of the game to match the Indians.
Sri Lanka’s buoying clout will certainly be its most celebrated match winning bowler spin wizard Rangana Herath whose eighth 10-wicket match haul against Zimbabwe eighth 10-wicket match haul against Zimbabwe saw him forge ahead of India’s Ravichandran Ashwin to the No.2 spot in the ICC top 10 bowler rankings. Interestingly, Herath has closed to within 32 points of Ravindra Jadeja, making it a 1-2 for left-arm spinners in the latest rankings.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s batting department has found the satisfying tonic of middle order batsman Asela Gunaratnce insulating himself on a high that would be another stabilizing factor for the home team going in to the exchanges against the high riding Indians. For the record, Gunaratne reached a career-high rank of 79th having gained 19 positions from his ‘Man of the Match’ innings of 45 and 80 not out against Zimbabwe.
All in all, with no major changes expected from the Test squad that did duty against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka will have to play spick and span cricket to get past India. In the ODI series that will follow, a buoying factor to the home team will be Sri Lanka having upset India in the Champions Trophy in England.
| Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 26th - 30th July | 1st Test | GICS, Galle |
| 03rd - 07th August | 2nd Test | SSC, Colombo |
| 12th - 16th August | 3rd Test | PICS, Kandy |
| 20th August | 1st ODI | RDICS, Dambulla |
| 24th August | 2nd ODI | PICS, Kandy |
| 27th August | 3rd ODI | PICS, Kandy |
| 31st August | 4th ODI | RPICS, Colombo |
| 3rd September | 5th ODI | RPICS, Colombo |
| 6th September | Only T20I | RPICS, Colombo |
By Srian Obeyesekere
