India is celebrating its Independence Day and the occasion and the fervour will also be felt in Sri Lanka where the Indians side is ready to take the field for the opening Test match. Galle couldn’t have asked for a better game to host its 50th test match as the two sides is going into battle mode with key WTC points up for grabs.

For the home team, it is a clear objective that they have to win the series against a side that they haven’t beaten in 18 years. Dhananjaya de Silva has backed his spinners to do well and also said that he was wary of the threat Indian batters will pose to his side. Key bowlers for the hosts will be Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis who have good record at this venue. The side though will be without two of their key batters in Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka ruled out of the opening game due to injury.

One doesn’t have to speak about the long-list of injuries Indian team is currently suffering from. Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill know that they have a lot on their hands and have to face a huge challenge if they have to win the series. Gill sounded upbeat before the series on Friday while speaking to the media. Indian skipper said that his goal is to qualify for the WTC finals. India will dependent on players like KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, more importantly Kuldeep Yadav if they have to do well.

IND vs SL overall head-to-head and record at Galle

Both teams have played 46 matches with India winning 22, Sri Lanka winning seven and 17 matches ending in a draw. If we speak about the record at this venue, then Sri Lankans have won three matches out of five with Indians winning two.

It is expected to a wicket where spinners will dominate as the game goes on but will be an amazing strip to bat in the few first few days. Captain who wins the toss will want to bat first and put up a huge total on board and most likely want to bat just once.

IND vs SL -Squads

Sri Lanka – Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Dhananjaya De Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Ramesh Mendis, Keshara Nuwantha, Sonal Dinusha, Milan Rathnayake, Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Niroshan Dickwella, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Jayakaduth, Disurshan, and Prabaya Prabayashan.

India – KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, and Auqib Nabi.