India had no trouble at all to win another Test series in Sri Lanka in two years. They have not just won, but crushed the opposition in each of the two matches in the three-Test series.
They started with a whopping 304-win in Galle and then clinched the second Test by an innings and 53 runs Colombo on Sunday.
Therefore, going into the next match, which begins on 12 August in Kandy, the Indian team management should certainly think about checking their bench strength.
Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma have been waiting in the wings throughout the series.
Abhinav Mukund had his chance of cementing his place in the Test eleven. He scored 81 runs in the second innings of the Galle Test, but it was too late as Shikhar Dhawan smashed 190 runs off 168 balls in the first innings.
The opening pair has been debated enough. If Dhawan plays the next Test, then he will certainly be India’s third opener when Murali Vijay returns to the side.
Here’s a look at the other possible team combinations that India can play for the next Test.
Kuldeep Yadav For Ravindra Jadeja
The best bowler in the series so far, Ravindra Jadeja, is suspended from the next Test for accumulating 6 demerit points within a 24-month period after a breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second Test in Colombo.
Therefore, India will look to put their faith on the chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, who impressed on his debut against Australia in Dharamsala earlier this year. The 22-year-old picked up 4 wickets for 68 runs in the first innings of his only Test.
Yadav will take confidence from the fact that two leg-break bowlers Lakshan Sandakan (Sri Lanka – chinaman) and Yasir Shah (Pakistan) have had success in the one match that they have played at the Pallekele Stadium.
Both of them picked up 7 wickets each in their respective matches.
Chance For Rohit Sharma?
It can be quite frustrating for a player to sit on the bench throughout the series. Rohit Sharma, who played his last Test against New Zealand last year, will be hoping to get an opportunity especially because the Sri Lankan team has hardly shown any competition.
The Indian team management may also take into consideration that it will be great for Rohit Sharma to get a feel of the middle before the ODI series begins on 20 August.
But if the Mumbai batsman plays, then who sits out?
India will definitely field two spinners, who will be Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav, because they will play on a spin-friendly track.
But, what the visitors could experiment with is a frontline pacer alongside Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder has hardly batted or bowled in the series so far. He scored a quick fifty in the first Test and has bowled 25 overs across three innings.
If he is given a bigger role with the ball in the next Test, then the team management can assess at least one of his abilities in a better way.
Change of Pace Attack
The Indian cricket team hardly has any long breaks during the course of the season and therefore the team management will have to make sure that the fitness of all players and especially fast bowlers are of the utmost importance.
In a situation, where India have been very dominant in the series, the visitors can think of resting their frontline fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav to make way for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma.
If India have to survive a full season without injuries then rotating players is the only way forward.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was India’s best bowler in the Champions Trophy earlier this year. He can certainly put the same amount of pressure as Mohammed Shami or Umesh Yadav have been deploying.
Ishant Sharma on the other hand picked up his last five-wicket haul in Tests in Sri Lanka in 2015. The fast bowler may find his rhythm in a country he has performed well in.
If all bowlers have match practice then India will be better prepared for tough tours such as South Africa, later this year.
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