Selectors, BCCI asked Virat to continue as T20I captain for sake of Indian cricket: Chetan Sharma
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- Published: March 3, 2022 13:27
Mohali: After doing a clean sweep over Sri Lanka in the T20 series, Team India will look forward to continuing their dominance in the two-match Test series against the Lankan Lions.
Both teams will square off on Friday in the opening match of the two-Test series which will be played at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. In this match, all eyes will be on Virat Kohli who will be playing his 100th Test. Kohli will be eager to get back in the runs on this special occasion.
The 33-year-old has amassed 7,962 runs in 99 Tests at an average of 50.39 with 27 tons to his name. However, the batter has not been able to register a century in international cricket since 2019 and the entire nation is waiting for his 71st international ton.
Rohit Sharma will also share some spotlight with Kohli as the clash in Mohali will be his first match as an Indian Test captain. India will be keen to bounce back after their series loss of 2-1 against South Africa away earlier this year. While, in Sri Lanka’s last Test series, they defeated West Indies, taking the series 2-0.
The series is a part of the ICC World Test Championship where Sri Lanka is placed first while India is placed fifth in the standings.
For hosts, youngsters like Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari are likely to be long term replacements of senior players like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara along with Shreyas Iyer as backup middle-order batter. Both the senior players were omitted from the squad after the poor show with the bat.
Dangerous batter Rishabh Pant might be playing at No.5 replacing Ajinkya Rahane who was a primarily middle-order player. Right now India has a solid batting lineup with players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari. So, it will be difficult for the team management and skipper to drop any aforementioned player for the opening Test match.
After the devastating multi-series loss against South Africa, Indian pacers Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will be eager to be in form for the series against the lions. Against Proteas, Indian pacers failed to make an impact in the last two Tests and now against their sub-continental neighbours, they would like to be at their best at home.
The guests who have suffered a clean sweep against the hosts in the T20Is will look to have their say in the longest format of the game. Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne would hope that his team’s batting and bowling lineup will do well so they don’t have to go through another whitewash.
The Lanka team is hanging on their spinners for success but the slow bowling might not work against the Indian batting attack.
India also possesses the top spinners. It will be hard for Sri Lanka’s batters to face Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Skipper Dasun Shanaka would hope that his team get their act together and be able to give a fight to hosts.
Squads: India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Agarwal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Srikar Bharat, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Priyank Panchal, Rishabh Pant (Wicket-Keeper), Saurabh Kumar, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Umesh Yadav and Jayant Yadav.
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (Captain), Dhananjaya De Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella (Wicket-keeper), Lasith Embuldeniya, Vishwa Fernando, Praveen Jayawickrama, Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeffrey Vandersay.