After demolishing Sri Lanka in the first Test, India are gearing up to face the hosts in the second Test, scheduled to begin on Sunday in Colombo. During the first Test, it largely remained a one-sided show, with India outshining Sri Lanka across all departments. Manav Suthar emerged as India’s standout bowler, finishing the match with ten wickets to totally destroy Sri Lanka.
In the batting department for India, Devdutt Padikkal shone in the first innings, smashing a maiden ton before extending his score to 167 from 230 balls. And, in the second innings, Rishabh Pant stepped up with a 66-run knock. Devdutt Padikkal too contributed 44 in the second innings to help India pile up runs.
Meanwhile, despite India’s success, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has expressed concerns about spinner Kuldeep Yadav believing that the left-arm spinner might be replaced in the playing XI ahead of the second Test.
"I am worried about one player - Kuldeep Yadav. He might not play the next match. That's also possible. Whenever he was given bowling, he was given short spells. He didn't get long spells. Saransh Jain is an off-spinner. Why did Padikkal come to bowl? It was because the lack of an off-spinner was seen in the middle," Kaif said on Sony Sports.
Moreover, with the victory in the first Test, India have strengthened their position in the WTC standings and second Test is equally important for them to win to further boost their position.