Padikkal comes in as India opt to bat in Galle; Nuwantha debuts for Sri Lanka
Shubman Gill won only his third toss in nine Tests as captain and, as expected, decided to bat first on a Galle track expected to help bowlers less than it usually does. The pitch had an even grass covering and no dry patches. It was expected to seam a bit as the early moisture dried, […]
Shubman Gill, the Indian captain, opted to bat first in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle. The pitch, which had an even grass cover and no dry patches, was expected to seam a bit as the early moisture dried. To replace the injured B Sai Sudharsan, India brought in Dwvdutt Padikkal as their new No. 3 batter. Their bowling lineup included three left-arm spinners and two fast bowlers, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.
In their turn, Sri Lanka made a surprising decision to debut 25-year-old offspinner Keshara Nuwantha in place of Ramesh Mendis. Nishan Fernando took over as the opener from the injured Pathum Nissanka, while Niroshan Dickwella made a Test comeback after three years. This marks the 50th Test in Galle and India's 600th Test overall.
Both teams are currently in the middle of the table, and a 2-0 clean sweep in the series would provide them with a realistic chance of advancing to the final of the World Test Championship.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Padikkal comes in as India opt to bat in Galle; Nuwantha debuts for Sri Lanka cricinfo.com
