NEW DELHI: India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka in the opening Test of the two-match series in Galle on Saturday.Gill said the pitch looked good and the weather conditions were also favourable for a full day of cricket.“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,” Gill said.India have gone with a largely unchanged playing XI from their last Test against Afghanistan in June.Devdutt Padikkal comes into the team in place of the injured Sai Sudharsan.Gill said India have retained the same combination from their previous Test, with five bowlers in the side.“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,” he said.
Special occasion for Gill
The Test is a landmark occasion for India as they play their 600th Test match. It also comes on India’s Independence Day.Gill said leading India on such a special occasion is a big honour.“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,” he said.
Sri Lanka hand debut to Keshara Nuwantha
Sri Lanka have handed an international debut to off-spin bowling all-rounder Keshara Nuwantha.Captain Dhananjaya de Silva said Sri Lanka would also have chosen to bat first after winning the toss.“We would have batted first as well. Two fast bowlers, two spinners and two allrounders. Iconic ground, I am very happy to captain in this match,” Dhananjaya said.TeamsIndia: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill (captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.Sri Lanka: Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella (wicketkeeper), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando.