India's Strongest Playing XI For First Test Vs Sri Lanka After Warm Up Fixture

India strongest XI for first Test vs Sri Lanka [Source: AFP]

India’s warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka XI is over as the visitors got ample amount of practice before the Test series against the home team begins on August 15. The Test series holds utmost importance as India need to beat the Lankan Lions to stay alive in the WTC final race.

The three-day match allowed the Indian batters to adjust to the tricky Sri Lankan conditions, as the likes of Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Devdutt Padikkal scored runs to get into the Test match groove.

On the other hand, the bowlers acclimatised to the bowling conditions and understood how the wicket at Galle would play for the first Test.

Several players delivered for India in the warm-up match, while others failed. In this article, we take a look at India’s strongest XI for the first Test on the basis of how the Indian players performed in the practice game.

India's playing XI for first Test Vs Sri Lanka

Openers and top order: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal

The combination of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal will continue to open for India in the first Test match against Sri Lanka. The pair complements each other well, and while Jaiswal will be the chief aggressor, KL Rahul can bind his time against the Lankan bowlers.

Both openers scored runs in the warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka XI, and that is a good sign as the pair will enter the Galle Test on the back of runs.

If Sai Sudharsan was fit, the Tamil Nadu batter would have been India’s first-choice number 3 player, but the southpaw was ruled out of the series a couple of days ago.

In his absence, Devdutt Padikkal took centre stage and smashed a scintillating ton in the first innings of the practice game to seal his number 3 spot.

Middle order and all-rounder: Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar

Shubman Gill didn’t bat in the first innings of the practice game due to an injury, but he played in the second innings and looked in his free-flowing flow as the Indian Test captain got into the Test match groove before the first game at Galle.

Rishabh Pant failed in the first innings of the practice game, but he still remains India’s best wicket-keeper batter, and the southpaw will most likely play at number 5.

Just like Pant, Dhruv Jurel, too, couldn’t score big in the first innings, but Indian cricket has prioritised having a deep batting lineup in Tests, and Jurel could play at number 6 in the first Test match. Alongside him, Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar will be the two all-rounders, as India will bat till number 8 in the Galle Test vs Sri Lanka.

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(Jadeja Test numbers, Suthar's first-class stats)

• As the stats depict, Jadeja is more than a handy batter, and in fact, he has been one of the most consistent players for India in red-ball cricket in recent times. He averages 38 and will be a key player in the middle order.
• On the other hand, Suthar averages 26, and can be a handy player coming in at number 8 for India in the Test match.

Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

The surface will offer help for the spinners, and India will most likely go in with three proper spinners. Jadeja, and Suthar are the two options, and Kuldeep Yadav will be the front-line spinner. He picked up 2 wickets in the first innings of the practice game and could be a threat on a turning wicket.

(Kuldeep Yadav Test stats in Sri Lanka)

• Kuldeep has just played a solitary Test match in Sri Lanka, and he has taken 5 wickets, with an average of 19. He remains the only bowler apart from Jadeja to have played there in a Test match, and India must play him to test the Sri Lankan batters.

In the pace department, Gurnoor Brar was decent, and Auqib Nabi wasn’t given many chances. Hence, the two pacers India are most likely to use in the first Test match are Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.

The two bowlers looked impressive in the practice game, and at least for the first Test, India will go ahead with the two pacers.

India's strongest XI for first Test vs Sri Lanka

KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

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