By Sandipan Banerjee in Galle
For more than 400 years, Galle Fort has watched empires rise and fall, traders arrive, and generations come and go. This week, from its ancient ramparts, it will witness another chapter of history as a new generation of Indian Test cricketers, stepping out of the shadow of a glamorous past, begins its monumental battle for a place in next year’s World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval.
Of the nine remaining Tests in the ongoing WTC cycle, Shubman Gill’s men need to win at least seven, and the weight of that equation has been evident in every practice session since they arrived in Sri Lanka for this two-match series.
Pressure on India?
On Thursday, the visitors had their first outing at the scenic Galle International Cricket Stadium, and the practice session, which lasted almost four hours, provided a lot of clarity about what their playing XI will be on August 15.
On Thursday, India’s first practice session at the Galle International Cricket Stadium offered more than just an opportunity for the players to acclimatise to the conditions. For those watching from the ground, the nearly four-hour session provided some telling clues about the XI India are likely to field in its iconic 600th Test match.
There appeared to be only two genuine selection calls be made. Sarfaraz Khan or Dhruv Jurel at No. 6 was one. The other was the choice of India’s second seamer alongside Mohammed Siraj, with Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar competing for the spot.
Thursday’s session appeared to provide clarity on both.
What happened at the nets?
India organised their batting drills at the nets largely in the order in which the players are expected to bat. At one net, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul took guard together, while Shubman Gill and Devdutt Padikkal occupied the other. The openers began by facing pace, while Gill and Padikkal started against spin and throwdown specialists.
Then came a particularly revealing sequence. Rishabh Pant and Jurel batted together at one of the nets. The manner in which the batting groups were organised suggested that Jurel is set to slot in at No. 6, with Ravindra Jadeja following him at No. 7.
That would end speculations of Sarfaraz getting a wildcard entry into the playing XI.
The bowling plans offered another significant clue. India are expected to go into the Test with three spinners, and bowling coach Morne Morkel more or less confirmed as much during his interaction with the media. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja are the obvious choices, while Manav Suthar is set to complete the trio.
Suthar, who made his debut against Afghanistan and impressed in that outing, has also bowled well during India’s three-day practice game at the NCC ground in Colombo. His performance in the nets in Galle further strengthened the impression that India are preparing to trust the left-arm spinner with a role in the XI.
The contest for the second seamer, meanwhile, appeared to move decisively in Prasidh’s favour.
Both Prasidh and Gurnoor bowled for extended periods during the net session. But once the team moved to the open ground, Prasidh joined Siraj for an extended spell at the side nets. With the Galle ground exposed to a strong and swirling breeze, the two seamers bowled from both ends, working out how the wind affected their lines, lengths and release.
Will it be a rank turner?
The pitch for the 50th Test at the venue is expected to assist the spinners, but it is unlikely to be a rank turner. The groundsmen watered the 22-yard after India’s practice session, suggesting that the home team does not want to serve up a dry surface. The wicket is expected to offer plenty of runs over the first two days before starting to break up from Day 3 onwards. That makes the decision for both skippers to bat first if they win the toss a no-brainer.
The Sri Lankan team meanwhile took a day off and are expected to have an optional session on August 14 (Friday), alongside India.
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