Virat Kohli Made India Ruthless In Sri Lanka; What Are Shubman Gill's Odds To Match Him?

Can Shubman Gill match Virat Kohli's standards in SL? [Source: AFP]

The Indian team has landed in Sri Lanka and is all set to face the home team in a two-match Test series. The first match of the series will be played at the Galle International Stadium before the caravan shifts to the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. 

India's record in Sri Lanka indicates that they have dominated the home team in their backyard, and a major share of the credit for this achievement goes to Virat Kohli. 

India won five of their last six Tests in Sri Lanka between 2015 and 2017. So, the expectations will be high on Shubman Gill, who has just begun his captaincy stint, to extend the golden run. But does Gill have all the ingredients to match Virat Kohli's success rate in the Island Nation?

Virat Kohli's India outperformed their predecessors in Sri Lanka

Before Virat Kohli took charge as the captain, India had won only four out of 18 Tests in Sri Lanka. However, Kohli's tenure witnessed a remarkable turnaround, as he led the tourists to five glorious victories, including two series wins.

Thus, India had a miserable win percentage of 22.23, which surged to 83.34 in Kohli's leadership. The stark contrast in numbers indicates Virat Kohli's India was formidable, a word we can't associate with the previous Indian teams that toured Sri Lanka. 

How did Kohli turn India into a ruthless force in Sri Lanka?

It's worth noting that Virat Kohli had a disastrous start as India's Test captain in Sri Lanka, losing the first match of the 2015 tour convincingly. The Indian team not only conceded a crucial 1-0 lead to the hosts but also registered their lowest-ever total on the Lankan soil, being bundled out for 112 in Galle. 

As someone who had led the team in just 4 matches, it was a challenging task for Virat Kohli to promptly address the grey areas and make his side bounce back after such a demoralising outing. 

But known for his indomitable fighting spirit, Kohli instilled nerves of steel in his teammates, scripting a heroic turnaround that concluded with India's historic series win. 

The Indian side that toured Sri Lanka in 2015 had an average appearance of 20.88 Tests. The likes of Karun Nair and Naman Ojha had yet to play a Test, while KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma had combined experience of 27 matches in the longest format. 

However, India had an experienced bowling attack that kept the Sri Lankan batters on their toes. The Indian bowlers statistically had an average Test appearance of 33.28 matches. 

In fact, there were three Indians- Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma- among the five most successful bowlers of the series, signifying how the tourists outclassed their Lankan counterparts in the particular department. 

Ishant, Ashwin and Amit Mishra accounted for 49 dismissals, thereby playing a significant part in India's historic win. 

While the bowlers did their job, the contribution from the Indian batters can't be ignored either. Kohli himself led from the front with 233 runs, with Pujara, Rahane, Rohit and Saha chipping in with vital knocks throughout the series. 

When India toured Sri Lanka in 2017, the players in their Test setup were more mature than ever before. Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav were included in that squad, further strengthening the Indian lineup. 

So, India had transformed into a formidable force by then, and comfortably whitewashed a depleted Sri Lankan team that managed only four wins in 13 Tests that year. 

Also Read: Sri Lanka’s Mind Games With Gautam Gambhir Begin, Change Galle Pitch After Official Visit

Factors that can decide captain Shubman Gill's fate on Sri Lanka tour 2026

While India's bowling unit was the primary reason behind their resurgence in Sri Lanka in 2015, it appears to be a glaring flaw that could derail their campaign on the 2026 tour. The talismanic Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out, while Ravindra Jadeja is at the twilight of his career and has a strike rate of 71.44 with the ball in Tests since 2025. 

Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain have collective experience of eight Test matches. Therefore, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj could be asked to do the heavy lifting, hoping to get the required support from their teammates. 

On the contrary, India's batting department is equipped with experience and depth. Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant can do the bulk of scoring, while the presence of Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Jadeja, Suthar and Saransh gives a formidable look to India's lower middle order. 

However, India's recent performances against spin bowling could be the one area they must fine-tune, considering Sri Lanka will prepare spin-friendly decks to make the visitors fall into their trap. 

India have lost five of their last eight home Tests, and their batters' woes while countering the spinners were evident in those fixtures. 

Jaiswal, Rahul, Gill, Pant, Jadeja, Jurel and Sarfaraz collectively averaged only 25.8 against spin bowling during India's home series against New Zealand and South Africa, where they lost all five matches, conceding shambolic clean sweeps to their opponents in 2024 and 2025. 

So, given that Sri Lanka have six spin bowling options in different categories, the Indian batters' performance against spin will pretty much determine captain Shubman Gill's fate in Sri Lanka. 

What are Shubman Gill's odds to recreate Virat Kohli's heroics in Sri Lanka?

When Virat Kohli visited Sri Lanka as India's Test captain for the first time, he didn't have a single win under his belt. The crushing defeat in Galle could've shattered the morale of any captain, but Kohli proved why he was beyond ordinary as a leader in Tests. 

India's astounding success on the 2015 tour was a stepping stone for captain Kohli, as he went on to become India's finest skipper in whites. On the other hand, Shubman Gill has had a more positive start to his tenure, winning five of his first nine Tests as captain. 

Kohli had the hunger; Gill has the momentum. Kohli's men believed in taking 20 wickets regardless of conditions, while Gill's team is empowered with a deep batting lineup and multiple all-round assets. 

So, based on team composition, Gill has a golden opportunity to recreate Kohli's heroics in Sri Lanka. But again, not every battle is won with pure skill. A skilful team also needs guts and fighting spirit to turn the winning probabilities into actual results. 

Sri Lanka have won six of their last 11 home Tests. Despite having a few loopholes, Shubman Gill's India is skilful enough to break their home dominance. But do they have the mindset to replicate the past success of the Virat Kohli-led side? Only time will tell. 

Also Read: AUS Vs BAN Head To Head Records- 1st Test, Bangladesh Tour Of Australia 2026