Saransh Jain Debuts as India Opt to Bat First in Colombo Test

India won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka in the second and final Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo. Sri Lanka are looking to level the two-match series after India took the lead in the opening Test.

India captain Shubman Gill had no hesitation in choosing to bat first, while Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva admitted he would have made the same decision. With some cloud cover and a hint of grass on the surface, Sri Lanka will hope to exploit any early movement with the ball.

India made one change to their playing XI, handing a Test debut to offspinner Saransh Jain, who replaces Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep was ruled unavailable after failing to recover from a viral illness.

Sri Lanka have also made changes, with Kamil Mishara receiving his Test debut after an impressive run of form in white-ball cricket. Pasindu Sooriyabandara has also been included after his brief appearance as a concussion substitute in the first Test.

The weather in Colombo began bright and sunny, although rain is forecast during the match. Hot and humid conditions are expected, which could make the SSC pitch increasingly dry and spin-friendly as the Test progresses. The Colombo surface is traditionally known to offer assistance to spinners as the game develops.

Sri Lanka Playing XI

1. Lahiru Udara
2. Kamil Mishara
3. Kamindu Mendis
4. Dhananjaya de Silva (capt.)
5. Sonal Dinusha
6. Pasindu Sooriyabandara
7. Niroshan Dickwella (wk)
8. Keshara Nuwantha
9. Prabath Jayasuriya
10. Asitha Fernando
11. Lahiru Kumara

India Playing XI

1. KL Rahul
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal
3. Devdutt Padikkal
4. Shubman Gill (capt.)
5. Rishabh Pant (wk)
6. Dhruv Jurel
7. Ravindra Jadeja
8. Manav Suthar
9. Saransh Jain
10. Mohammed Siraj
11. Prasidh Krishna

With both teams introducing debutants, the Colombo Test promises to be a closely contested encounter, particularly as the pitch is expected to offer increasing assistance to spin as the match progresses.