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Nagpur: It is obvious from India's insistence on a grassy pitch for the series opener against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata that it is working itself into a lather over the upcoming series against South Africa.
While it may sound logical to make it harder for itself and “embrace the challenge” against its immediate opponents, India put itself in a precarious position in the opener when it faltered in the first innings, stumbling to 172 all out, with Suranga Lakmal breathing fire.
It recovered well to come within three wickets of picking up a win anyway, but the No.1 ranked side in the world will not be too happy having spent a large portion of a Test on its backs. Certainly not against an opponent it notched a 9-0 series win across all formats in its backyard only a few months ago.
Not only would Kohli and Co like to address the issue of the top-order giving wickets away cheaply, a disciplined fielding display too would be high on the agenda when they set foot in Jamtha.
With Lakmal running riot in overcast conditions, which by the way saw the first two days get under 50 overs of play, India was in dire straits until Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami came to the party. India's batters showed considerable poise when the pitch dried up in time for their second innings with Kohli smashing a brilliant century.
But if it wasn't for Bhuvneshwar and Shami's stunning effort on a significantly flatter surface in the second innings, it would not have reduced Sri Lanka to 75 for 7 to gain a mental edge coming into the second Test.
Bhuvneshwar, who finished the game with eight wickets, has been released from the squad due to personal reasons and has been replaced by Vijay Shankar. Instead, Ishant Sharma will complete the pace unit, along with Umesh Yadav and Shami. Shikhar Dhawan, the opener, too has been released and will be replaced by M Vijay to open alongside Lokesh Rahul.
On otherhand, for Sri Lanka, Lakmal, who spent a considerable amount of time clutching his right leg in the opening Test, may make way for Vishwa Fernando, the left-arm paceman, if he isn't fully fit.
If Sri Lanka is lucky enough to enjoy Lakmal's services for another Test though, Lahiru Gamage, who was not at his effective best in Kolkata, could be replaced by Fernando. Dasun Shanaka will be the team's third paceman. As for the spin unit, Sri Lanka will rely on Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera.
Dinesh Chandimal, the Sri Lankan skipper, has plenty to ponder over, including his batting form and how the Indians are going to come at his 24-year-old wicketkeeper, but the first Test would have raised his belief in this team significantly.
That belief will be put the test because India does not take being embarrassed -- even if only for an innings -- lightly.
Teams from
India: Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Capt.), Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Vijay Shankar
Sri Lanka: Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (Capt.), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dasun Shanaka, Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Gamage, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Roshen Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva
Pitch and conditions
The VCA stadium in Nagpur ahead of the second Test, only reiterated this commitment to preparing in haste for overseas challenges that await it. There's plenty of grass on the strip, but it will not be as damp and entertaining as the pitch in Kolkata, not nearly.
Stats and trivia
Match facts
November 24-28, 2017
Start time 0930 local (0400 GMT)
