India will play two Tests against Sri Lanka in August© AFP
Team India is touring Sri Lanka for a Test series for the first time in over nine years, which means that a number of players will have their first experience of international red-ball cricket in the island nation. The likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are no longer in the setup, with players like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant filling their boots. However, Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva believes that a different India batter will be the biggest threat to the hosts in the upcoming series.
Dhananjaya emphasised that KL Rahul would be the biggest obstacle for Sri Lanka in the two-Test series. Rahul is the only batter who played in India’s previous Test tour in Sri Lanka.
“I would say experience-wise KL Rahul would be the biggest threat for us. He has done well all around the world and he has played a few matches in Sri Lanka as well. Last time (in 2017), I think he played in our conditions and knows it pretty well,” Dhananjaya said, as per Times of India.
In 2017, Rahul played in the second and third Tests of India’s tour of Sri Lanka. Opening the batting, he slammed half-centuries in both games, with a top score of 85.
Nine years later, Rahul is set to open the batting once again for Team India in Sri Lanka. This time, he’ll be the senior figure alongside the talented Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The likes of Jaiswal, captain Gill and wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant will need to tackle the spin-friendly conditions in Sri Lanka, with India urgently needing victories to keep their hopes of playing the World Test Championship (WTC) 2027 final alive.
The first Test will take place between August 15 and 19 at Galle, while the second Test is between August 23 and 27 in Colombo.
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