Sri Lanka announce Test squad for series against India

Sri Lanka have announced their Test squad for the upcoming series against India. While the mainstays remained predominant there was a new face too.

The series will have quite a few names to look out for. The most interesting names will be Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella who will be returning to the cricketing fold after serving a ban imposed on them for violating COVID norms while Sri Lanka toured England last year.

Lahiru Thirimanne will also be returning to the national team after a brief hiatus as he took a break to be with his wife who gave birth to their second child. However, before he left, he was in red-hot form as he stitched together four half-centuries and two centuries from his last 11 innings.

The remainder of the squad has more or less been the same for Sri Lanka with names like Oshada Fernando, Minod Bhanuka, Roshen Silva and Lakshan Sandakan axed. Dimuth Karunaratne will be leading the Lankan squadron.

This will be Sri Lanka’s first Test series in India since 2017 when they were drubbed 1-0 in a three-match affair. The last time India suffered a beating in Test cricket against Sri Lanka was in 2015, while an entire series defeat for the hosts came in 2008.

Sri Lanka squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva (vice-capt), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Charith Asalanka, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Vishwa Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama, Lasith Embuldeniya