Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva spoke to TOI ahead of the two-match Test series against India that begins on Saturday. The 34-year-old fired the warning shots when he said that his side has the upper hand over the visiting side in the upcoming series.

Silva began by saying that the Indian side may have lost against New Zealand and South Africa on turning wickets, but the team hasn’t forgotten how to bat on such wickets. He also said that the visitors led by Shubman Gill would be keen to perform well and get back to their best.

The veteran was asked to name the biggest threat his side will face during the upcoming campaign. He took the name of KL Rahulwho has already toured Sri Lanka before. Dhananjaya said that Rahul had batted well across the world and knows the conditions in Lanka really well, having toured before.

TheSri Lankan captain feels that stat-wise his team holds the upper hand. He stated the example of Prabath Jayasuriya, who has an exemplary record in Galle, where the opening Test is set to be played. The left-arm spinner has already picked up 81 wickets from 11 matches at this venue.

De Silva said that Jayasuriya has tremendous experience of bowling in these conditions. The home team captain also added that the bowler did well against touring sides, which gives a massive advantage to the home side.

Finally, the Lanka skipper also added that he wasn’t going to take the Indian team lightly even without jasprit bumrah. He stated that the visiting side has a lot of match-winners in the ranks, which makes them a dangerous unit.

What is KL Rahul’s record vs Sri Lanka?

The 34-year-old batter has played 7 matches against the Lankans and scored 354 runs at an average of 32. Rahul has also hit one century and three fifties against the opposition. His only century came during the 2015 tour at the P Sara Oval, where he scored 108 runs from 190 balls.

Five out of the seven Tests for the Delhi Capitals star have come in Sri Lanka, where he has scored 268 runs at an average of 33. The right-handed batter from Karnataka is in fine form as far as red-ball cricket is concerned. He scored a tremendous ton in the one-off Test against Afghanistan just two months ago.