Colombo, Aug 2026 : India won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka in the second and final Test of the series at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo on Sunday, with off-spin bowling all-rounder Saransh Jain handed his maiden Test cap. India entered the contest with a 1-0 lead after recording a 165-run victory in the opening Test at Galle.
Captain Shubman Gill, winning the toss for the second successive Test, confirmed that Jain had replaced left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who was unavailable for selection while recovering from an infection. Jain received his India debut cap from senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja during the team huddle, marking a major milestone in the 33-year-old Madhya Pradesh all-rounder’s career.
Jain’s selection provides India with an additional off-spin option along with useful lower-order batting. His elevation comes after consistent performances in domestic cricket and a strong showing for India A against Sri Lanka A, where he impressed with both bat and ball.
Gill said the SSC surface appeared harder than the Galle pitch but expected it to remain favourable for batting during the early stages of the match. He felt the pitch could slow down and assist spin as the Test progressed.
“It looks like a much harder, much better surface compared to Galle,” Gill said. He added that India expected the first two or three days to offer good batting conditions before the surface potentially became slower and more conducive to turn.
Reflecting on India’s performance in Galle, Gill rated the team’s effort around nine out of 10. He acknowledged that there were areas where the side could improve but stressed that maintaining near-perfect consistency over five days in Test cricket was extremely difficult.
India will be looking to carry the confidence of their commanding Galle victory into the Colombo Test and complete a 2-0 series sweep. The second Test is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have made two changes involving debutants. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva confirmed that Kamil Mishara and Pasindu Sooriyabandara were making their Test debuts. Sooriyabandara had earlier appeared as a concussion substitute during the Galle Test after Dinesh Chandimal suffered injuries while fielding.
Dhananjaya agreed with Gill’s assessment of the conditions, saying the SSC pitch appeared harder than the Galle surface. He hoped the cloud cover could assist Sri Lanka’s pace attack early in the innings. The Sri Lankan captain emphasised the importance of taking early wickets with the ball while ensuring that his batting unit avoided early dismissals and kept the scoreboard moving.
Sri Lanka will be under pressure to produce a stronger performance after losing the opening Test by 165 runs. With India already ahead in the series, the hosts need a victory in Colombo to level the contest.
The SSC Test is scheduled for August 23-27, with India aiming to seal the series and Sri Lanka seeking a comeback victory on home soil.
Playing XIs
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (Captain), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando.
Team Maverick
