With an eye on the upcoming overseas tour to South Africa, India will be playing their 6th Test match at the VCA Stadium against Sri Lanka on Friday. Going into the penultimate Test of the series, team India will surely have the psychological edge after the phenomenal performance in the final session of the drawn game at Eden Gardens. Hence, Virat Kohli and his troops will be looking to carry the momentum from the first game into the second Test and go for the kill in Nagpur.
The pitch in ‘orange city’ has generally favoured the batsman and had a dry look on it. This can be gauged from the fact that the highest total on this ground is 566/8 by the hosts in 2015 while spinners have ruled the roost in terms of bowling. However, with the Indian team management requesting for a hard and bouncy track, a prediction will be hard to make as to what will be on offer.
Skipper Virat Kohli, who will be leading India in a Test match against Lanka for the 8th time, will not tinker too much with his squad as they are brimming with confidence. But with Shikhar Dhawan out of the squad, Murali Vijay will partner KL Rahul for the opening slot. On the other hand, if the pitch is conducive for seamers then young Tamil Nadu all-rounder, Vijay Shankar might make his debut as well. The rest of the squad is likely to remain the same.
As far as the visitors are concerned skipper Dinesh Chandimal has reiterated that the Islanders have come here with an intention to win a Test match. While Sri Lanka are yet to decide on the team combination, Lahiru Gamage’s dismal performance has left questions marks over his place in the team. Vishwa Fernando, who bowls left-arm fast, could be a viable option to replace Gamage. But if Sri Lanka are hoping for a miracle and register their first ever Test win in India then it is imperative that they come out and play with a positive mindset. Only time will tell if they can pull off one of the biggest upsets in cricket.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Lokesh Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh, Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar, Kuldeep Yadav and Rohit Sharma.
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (Captain), Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva, Suranga Lakmal, Dasun Shanaka, Viswa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage, Lakshan Sandakan, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dilruwan Perera and Roshen Silva.
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