Colombo: Skipper Virat Kohli is facing with a problem of plenty in the opening slot but that is unlikely to come in the way of India’s rampaging run when they attempt to seal the series against Sri Lanka in the second Test starting here.
India were without the services of regular opener KL Rahul in the opening Test at Galle as he was laid low by viral fever. However, his absence didn’t affect the team’s performance and the visitors won the match by a massive 304 runs to open with a bang in the three-Test series.
Rahul has recovered amply and if he is successful in proving his fitness for the energy-sapping humid conditions predicted during this Test, the toss-up will be between Shikhar Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund for the second opener’s slot.
Dhawan had smacked his fifth Test hundred at Galle, a knock that put India in command on day one itself. Mukund on the other hand, did score his second Test half century in the second innings, but it could be a case of too little, too late for the Tamil Nadu opener.
If Rahul is fit, Mukund will be expectedly left out, a strange happenstance because he was the original back-up opener in this Test squad ahead of Dhawan.
Interestingly, India had faced the opening dilemma even the last time they played here. Both Dhawan and Murali Vijay were out injured two years ago, and Rahul had opened with Pujara.
For the hosts, the task ahead is as onerous as it was in the first Test. The gap in Test rankings – No.1 to No.7 – highlighted the difference in quality of the two sides and the result from Galle has only widened this gulf.
It is a far cry from 12 months ago when this same Sri Lankan side blanked Australia 3-0. Perhaps the pitches were vastly different in that series, and if so, Lanka should be concerned again.
There is some good news ahead of this second Test for the injury-ridden side as their skipper Dinesh Chandimal has recovered from pneumonia and will be available for this game.
Seasoned batsman Lahiru Thirimanne has also been called up as replacement for injured Asela Gunaratne who broke his left thumb whilst fielding on day one of the first Test and was ruled out of the remainder of the series.
Left-arm wrist-spinner Lakshan Sandakan has been brought into the squad as backup for Rangana Herath. Herath, stand-in skipper at Galle last week, had injured his left hand whilst fielding too during the first Test. Although scans revealed no breakage, his hand was swollen as a result of which he didn’t bat in the second Lankan innings.
Kohli confirms Rahul inclusion in playing-XI
Fit-again opener KL Rahul is all set to make a comeback to the Indian team for the second Test against Sri Lanka starting Thursday, skipper Virat Kohli announced Wednesday.
Rahul was out of the first Test due to viral fever and needed hospitalisation for a couple of days. In all likelihood, it will be Abhinav Mukund, who will have to sit out despite his career-best 81 in the second innings of the first Test.
“KL Rahul has been our established opener. I feel one of the openers (Dhawan or Mukund) will have to make way for him because what he (Rahul) has done in the past two years for us has been very solid. He deserves to come back and start fresh in Test cricket again,” Kohli said at the pre-match media conference.
“We have a team meeting later on after practice and we’ll be able to clarify that then. But yes, according to me, Rahul will definitely come back into the eleven,” confirmed the skipper.
In the previous Test series that he played against Australia, Rahul notched up 393 runs with six half centuries in four Tests. Even in the warm-up game in Colombo against Sri Lanka Board President’s XI, Rahul scored 59 runs.
“It is very important to make Rahul feel at ease specifically because he played the practice game as well and he looked really solid. He has batted really well in the last couple of seasons for us. It is very important for us to make him feel that this is his spot.
“And it won’t be changed because of unfortunate events that happen outside of the playing field or the injuries that you can’t control,” Kohli reasoned.
