India Vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test Match Prediction

Preview

The India Vs Sri Lanka Test series starts a new era in Indian Cricket. They will be playing under a new captain with Virat Kohli stepping down after leading the team for nearly seven years. Rohit Sharma will take over, and India will have new players in the middle order with Pujara and Rahane dropped. The bowling is also going to have some changes with Ishant Sharma dropped, but the spin twins keep their places and are still rocking nicely.

Virat Kohli is playing his 100^th Test and he will be pleased to play it in front of a crowd and against a team that has been crucial for his growth over the years. The Sri Lankan line-up has some changes of their own. Angelo Mathews returns after being out of the white-ball set-up due to internal issues in Sri Lankan cricket. Lakmal is also retiring after this series, ending a long career as Sri Lanka’s attack leader in Test Cricket. Another player Sri Lanka will be watching closely is Lahiru Kumara. He looked very good in the T20Is and has a lot of potential with his pace to do well in Test Cricket.

Match Details:

Match: India Vs Sri Lanka

Date: 4^th March 2022

Time: 9:30 AM IST

Venue: Mohali

Weather Report

The temperature will continue to rise through the course of the game with mild clouds around in the India Vs Sri Lanka Test. Rain is not in the forecast indicating a full India Vs Sri Lanka match.

Pitch Report

The Mohali surface generally favors pace bowlers and some swing movement is likely in the initial part of the Test.

India Vs Sri Lanka Predicted Playing XI

India Playing XI

India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Mayank Agarwal 3 Hanuma Vihari, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Ravichandran Ashwin, 9 Jayant Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammad Siraj

Sri Lanka Playing XI

Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (c), 2 Pattum Nissanka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk) 7 Vishwa Fernando, 8 Dushmantha Chameera, 9 Lahiru Kumara, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Lasith Embuldeniya

Team News

• India will be looking to fill the middle-order with new players after Rahane and Pujara have been dropped. Vihari seems likely to play at three while Iyer takes the number five spot. Ashwin’s fitness remains a question and in case he is unfit India may hand a debut to Saurabh Kumar.

• Sri Lanka will look to fit in the likes of Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella, two players who missed the previous Test series due to a ban.

See Also: Australia’s Bowling options in Pakistan: 2022 – Cricket Winner

Key Players

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is gearing up for his 100^th Test and his first after stepping down as captain. He is playing a team which he has scored loads of runs against in the past and the upcoming occasion will be the best chance for Virat Kohli to find runs as he used too. He may find himself in a new position though with his long time teammates Pujara and Rahane out of the side.

Angelo Mathews

Mathews is another veteran of the game and will be interesting to watch. He has loads of experience in India and is a known face in the nation. He didn’t play much for Sri Lanka over the last year due to payment issues but can make a huge difference if he is selected continuously. He is one of the best players in the team and was once seen as a massive talent.

India Vs Sri Lanka Match Tips

With Sri Lanka’s form, batting and bowling all looking shaky, and India unbeatable at home the result is highly in favor of India.

Match Prediction: India will win the match.