Ind vs Sl: 12 awkward players will attack Lanka, only 3 names left from 2017 team, Galle-Colombo is a puzzle for the rest

New Delhi. Now Sri Lanka neither has bowlers like Muralitharan and Rangana Herath nor batsmen like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahila Jayawardene, yet there is a different kind of buzz in the India vs Sri Lanka Test series because 12 of the Indian team that has been selected for the 2-Test series with the neighboring country neither have any experience of playing in the humid heat of Sri Lanka nor on the rotating pitches. It is a matter of relief for India that their main bowlers Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep have Test experience in Sri Lanka.

The match is going to be very challenging for the Indian team on the Sri Lanka tour starting from 15 August 2026. The 15-member Test squad announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is full of young players, led by captain Shubhman Gill and vice-captain KL Rahul. Selected in the absence of veteran senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, this team includes only 3 players who have previous experience of playing Test cricket on Sri Lankan soil. These experienced players include Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav. For the remaining 12 players, this will be their first experience of playing with the red ball on Sri Lanka’s turning and slow wickets.

12 Attacking Lanka with Anari

India last made a full Test tour of Sri Lanka in 2017, where Team India won 3-0 under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. . Since that era, the profile of the Indian Test team has completely changed. Players like captain Shubhman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and Sai Sudarshan have shone on home grounds, but facing spin-friendly conditions on the pitches of Galle and Colombo is a different art. Sri Lanka has world class spinners like Prabhat Jayasuriya, who has the ability to destroy any batting order on the pitches of the subcontinent. In such a situation, it will not be easy for the Indian batsmen to score runs. Especially considering the dynamics of the World Test Championship (WTC), where India has currently slipped to fifth place in the points table, this series has become extremely important.

Passion of youth and support of seniors

Despite less experience, underestimating this team can prove to be a big mistake for Sri Lanka. The Indian team has some strong aspects which can make this tour successful. Jadeja, who has returned after recovering from tennis elbow injury, will provide strength and balance to the team. Pant has the ability to destroy any spin attack in the middle order. Madhya Pradesh spinner Saransh Jain and young Manav Suthar have been included in the team, who are desperate to repeat the excellent form of the domestic season at the international level. If the Indian top order manages to show patience against the Sri Lankan spinners, then the bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj is fully capable of taking 20 wickets for Sri Lanka. This tour will lay the foundation for the future of Indian cricket and whether this new generation can lead the team to victory even on foreign soil in adverse conditions.