Before the start of the two-match test series between India and Sri Lanka, which begins on August 15, the Indian team will play a three-day friendly match against the local side Eleven on Friday, August 7. This match will take place at the Non-Descript Cricket Club (NCC) ground in Colombo and is considered extremely important for the Indian players as it will give them an opportunity to finalize their preparation for the conditions in Lanka and playing against spin bowling.
Prior to this match, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) published a video in which Gautam Gambhir emphasized the need for complete readiness for everything ahead of the Test matches starting on August 15. In this video, Gambhir welcomed Saransh Jain and Akib Nabi to the squad. He highlighted Nabi's outstanding performance, which contributed to the Jammu and Kashmir team winning the Ranji championship.
Furthermore, Gambhir greeted the new field coach Shubdeep Ghosh, addressing him as 'Joy'. He mentioned that Ghosh has experience working with various teams. In the video, he urged the players to be ready to answer any question, regardless of whether the team attacks or defends in the first Test on August 15, and strongly recommended working on all necessary aspects during training.
Recent home games against South Africa and New Zealand showed that Indian batsmen faced significant difficulties against spin bowling. Therefore, this practice match against Sri Lanka's experienced spin attack will be a serious test for the Indian team. Captain Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal have already been practicing against spin bowling at their training centers before traveling to Sri Lanka, but playing on Lankan pitches presents a completely different challenge.
Only three players in the current squad have experience participating in Test matches in Sri Lanka: KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav. India last held a Test series in Sri Lanka in 2017. Jasprit Bumrah is not participating in this tour due to injury, so Mohammed Siraj will take responsibility for fast bowling. He will be accompanied by Prasidh Krishna, Gunnor Barar, Manav Chatur, and Saransh Jain. Excluding Siraj and Kuldeep, the rest of the attacking unit is relatively inexperienced.
Earlier, Gunnor Barar and Saransh Jain demonstrated impressive performances for the India A team against Sri Lanka A in Galle last month and hope to maintain their form in this practice match. However, the weather might hinder the preparation of the Indian team. According to the meteorological department's forecast, short rains are expected in Colombo from Friday, which could affect the three-day practice match.
