Colombo Test: KL Rahul has an 'SSC' exam as India take on Sri Lanka
India's KL Rahul during practice at the SSC ground in Colombo yesterday. Pic/AFP
Sri Lanka had two reasons to cheer ahead of the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground in Colombo yesterday. Dinesh Chandimal, fully recovered from pneumonia with a little help from an inhaler that the International Cricket Council (ICC) granted as a Therapeutic Use Exemption, will lead his team out onto the park and Rangana Herath's left middle finger was not overly damaged by the knock he took in the first Test. Yet, just as good news came their way, Sri Lanka will know that they have a major mountain to climb.
Lacking firepower
Down 0-1, lacking the firepower of Sri Lankan teams of old, this team know that, on paper, they are outclassed by India. Whether it is batting, bowling or fielding, India have the edge, and to narrow the gap, the locals have done the only logical thing, preparing a pitch that will help the spinners in plenty. While it is unlikely to be a minefield, the SSC pitch wore a dry look, and if it stays hard, there could be plenty of turn and bounce on offer.
Sri Lanka were set to play three spinners, handing a debut to Malinda Pushpakumara, the 30-year-old left-arm spinner, who has 558 first class wickets from 96 matches under the belt. Herath and Dilruwan Perera were not particularly effective in the first Test, but in conditions that work for them, the three-pronged spin attack could be a handful. Sri Lanka were also set to bring Dhananjaya de Silva, the middle-order batsman, in place of Asela Gunaratne, who fractured his thumb while fielding early in the first Test.
Don't forget Mukund
For India, one significant change was confirmed, with KL Rahul recovering from fever to take his place at the top of the order. One of Shikhar Dhawan or Abhinav Mukund, have to miss out and Kohli all but said that it was Abhinav — despite his sharp fielding under the helmet and second-innings 81 — who would be on the bench. "I feel in a situation like this, you need to sit down and think which player has had more impact on the game. Who has been able to sort of make that difference in the game straightaway," said Kohli.
"It all depends on who has had a better game, to be honest. It's a pretty thin line, it is a very small margin but unfortunately, that is how the sport goes sometimes and things happen in a team environment." If that logic is applied, Dhawan's bristling 190 far outweighs Abhinav's contribution.
The only other choice India have to make is choosing between sticking with the current bowling unit or finding place for Kuldeep Yadav. One of Hardik Pandya, currently the team's darling for the balance he lends with his batting, or Umesh Yadav, a reverse-swing specialist who could be more than handy on an abrasive surface, will have to sit out the game if Kuldeep is to play.
Kohli, who likes to keep his cards close to his chest in the lead-up to a Test, will take a final call on the combination after looking at the pitch on match morning. The Indian captain, however, did concede that there was room for improvement. "One thing we need to be aware of is when there is a partnership or some thing happening, then we need to have more composure and more discipline," said Kohli.
"I am pretty confident that those areas that we identified in the first game, we will be able to rectify and move ahead and actually improve on those things starting from this game." Will India be able to improve on the margin of victory, a handsome 304 runs? That is the big question.
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