India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday. This fixture marks a significant milestone as India plays its 600th Test match. The venue is also celebrating a historic achievement, as Galle becomes the first ground in Asia to host 50 Test matches.
For this encounter, India selected a spin-heavy attack featuring three left-arm spinners: Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Manav Suthar. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna serve as the two fast bowlers. Sri Lanka handed a Test debut to 25-year-old off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha.
India’s lineup includes Shubman Gill (capt.), K.L. Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wkt), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. Sri Lanka is led by captain Dhananjaya de Silva, with Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella (wkt), Prabath Jayasuriya, Keshara Nuwantha, Asitha Fernando, and Lahiru Kumara.
The match is officiated by umpires Sharfuddoula of Bangladesh and Rod Tucker of Australia, with Ahsan Raza of Pakistan serving as the third umpire. Andy Pycroft of Zimbabwe is the match referee.
