India won the toss and decided to bat first against Sri Lanka in the first Test of the two-match series on August 15, at the Galle International Stadium in Galle. It was a lucky toss for the Indian skipper Shubman Gill, as the toss went in his favor.
India opts to bat
Upon winning the toss, India skipper revealed that his decision to bat first solely relied on the great wicket and the pleasant weather conditions. While opening up on the playing combinations, Gill revealed that India went with the same lineup as the recent practice game in Sri Lanka.
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The star right-handed batter expressed his pleasure to lead the side in the country's 600th Test match which coincides with the Independence Day.
"We're gonna bat first, looks like a good wicket and the weather also looks good, so hopefully it's gonna be a good day of cricket for us. We've gone with the same playing XI that we played the last match. We've got five bowlers, two fast bowlers and three spinners. Very big honor for me, every time you get an opportunity to lead your country, and even more so special on this occasion. Independence Day for us and 600th Test match, so looking forward," said Gill at the Toss.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka's skipper Dhananjaya de Silva revealed he was also looking to bat as the wicket is quite dry. Dhananjaya revealed that Nishan Madushka will replace Pathum Nissanka and off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha will make his debut. Notably, Nuwantha dismissed Gill, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul during the practice game.
India's playing XI:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Sri Lanka's playing XI:
Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella(w), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando