COLOMBO: Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has been included in the 16-man squad for the second Test of the three-match series against India which begins tomorrow after recovering from illness.
Chandimal, 27, missed the first Test due to pneumonia, as India won by 304 runs at Galle, but will return as Sri Lanka look to level the series at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo.
He will be joined by batsman Lahiru Thirimanne, who last played an international Test in June 2016.
Thirimanne will replace the injured Asela Gunaratne, who has been ruled out of the series with a fractured thumb, while seamer Suranga Lakmal has been excluded due to back problems, according to media reports.
Left-arm spinner Lakshan Sandakan, who was dropped for the first match, is set to return. Veteran Rangana Herath, who suffered a finger injury and failed to bat in the final innings of the first Test, has been retained in the squad.
“We will give him (Herath) till the last minute to make sure that he is fit. The day before the Test we will see whether he can drift the ball, it will come down to that,” said Sri Lanka’s cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha.
Sri Lankan chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya backed his team to bounce back at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, recalling India’s turnaround during the previous series in 2015.
“India did come back the last time they were here, after losing in Galle. This is cricket, and if we apply ourselves and want (to come back) then we can,” Jayasuriya told The Times Of India.
“This is something we proved last year when we beat Australia, then world’s number one Test team, 3-0 when they were here. It wasn’t a one-off win because we can’t win three Tests in a row without playing well.
“So, our players are capable. We need to give them lot of confidence,” said the former star all-rounder.
But Sri Lanka, now seventh in the world rankings, will have to show rapid improvements against India, who dominated the opening Test.
Headache
Kohli said he was facing his own selection headache with opener Lokesh Rahul available for selection after recovering from viral fever.
Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 190 in the first innings, and Abhinav Mukund, whose 81 steered the team’s second innings, have made the opening slot a dilemma for the selectors.
But Rahul is expected to make the starting line-up in place of Mukund.
The match will mark batsman Cheteshwar Pujara’s 50th Test. He hit a patient 153 in the first innings of his 49th game to improve his average to 52.18.
“There have been ups and downs, but looking at the recent form, I will be looking forward to play in the 50th Test match and score some runs for the team,” the 29-year-old Pujara said.