The Indian team are on Lankan shores and look ready for a gruelling and long tour to the Emerald Isles. Facing a young Sri Lankan team, India will be aware of their class thanks to the drubbing they received against them in the Champions Trophy match last month.
With the first test on the 26th, we pick India’s ideal XI for the match:
KL Rahul:
The Bangalore boy is back and raring to go. Rahul missed close to four months with injury but looks determined to cement his place back at the top. He was India’s regular opener until the Australian series and will look to play his natural game.
Shikhar Dhawan:
With Murali Vijay out, Shikhar Dhawan will get to extend his form to the longer format of the game. Though he is bought in as a replacement, Dhawan is someone who can make a difference if he gets going.
Cheteshwar Pujara:
The solid batsman is another one who is assured of a place in the team and will be the anchor around which an innings will be built. Pujara can be the difference on a good day and India will hope to see him in his peak.
Virat Kohli:
India’s captain will look to further his legacy and win his first series overseas as captain of the Indian team. He will also be looking to plunder runs in foreign soil and register a century to begin the series in good fashion.
Ajinkya Rahane:
A solid batsman with an excellent temperament, Rahane will be looking to further the good patch of form that he has been in so long. Rahane will be the floater holding the middle order together.
Wriddhiman Saha:
Another player who seems to have hit form for the Test squad in the last series is Wriddhiman Saha and he will be hoping to have a good day both behind and in front of the stumps.
Ravindra Jadeja:
A good all-rounder who has a great record for the Indian squad with the ball, Jadeja is someone who Kohli can turn to if they need to wickets during the middle overs on turning tracks.
Ravichandran Ashwin:
The ace Indian spinner is also someone who is in good form for the Test team and India will look to him primarily to contain the batsmen and spin a web around them. Ashwin will be looking to get back into the Test mood soon.
Umesh Yadav:
A bowler in good form and someone who can swing the ball excellently, Yadav can make a difference and will almost certainly start the test.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar:
After being in red-hot form over the past few months, Bhuvneshwar will look to extend that to the Test setup as well. The fast bowler has improved considerably and has a strong chance of finishing amongst the wickets.
Kuldeep Yadav:
India’s chinaman is still a mystery for many batsmen around the world. In the first innings of the first tour game of India’s tour of Sri Lanka 2017, he picked 4 wickets for just 14 runs. On turning pitches, Kuldeep Yadav will be an asset for India.
