India vs Sri Lanka 2026 2nd Test Squad, Pitch Report

India vs Sri Lanka 2026 2nd Test Squad, Pitch Report and Preview – Colombo (SSC)

Sri Lanka and India will lock horns in the series-deciding second Test of their two-match Test rubber starting Sunday, August 23, 2026, at the historic Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo. With play beginning at 10:00 AM local time (also 10:00 AM IST), the contest arrives with the tourists holding a commanding 1-0 series lead after a dominant showing in Galle, while the hosts face an injury crisis that has thrown their top order into disarray. Here is a complete breakdown of the squads, the venue’s history, the likely pitch behaviour, and everything else fans need to know ahead of the first ball at the SSC.

Series Context: India Lead 1-0 After Galle Triumph

India arrived in Sri Lanka aiming to arrest a disappointing run in the ongoing World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, and they made an emphatic statement in the series opener. Shubman Gill’s side beat Sri Lanka by 165 runs at the Galle International Stadium, posting 462 in the first innings before bowling the hosts out twice to seal victory inside four days. The result lifted India off the bottom rungs of the WTC standings, though they remain in the middle of the table and still need to win the bulk of their remaining fixtures to stay in contention for a place in the final.

For Sri Lanka, the defeat in Galle means they now have their backs to the wall in Colombo. A win is the only result that keeps the series alive; anything else — a draw or another loss — hands India the series 1-0 or 2-0. Dhananjaya de Silva’s side had shown promise with the bat in patches during the first Test but were ultimately undone by India’s depth across both departments, and they will be desperate to level things at the venue where Sri Lanka have traditionally enjoyed a strong home record.

India Squad for the 2nd Test

India travelled to Sri Lanka with a 15-member squad announced by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, and the group remains unchanged heading into Colombo. The headline stories from the squad announcement were the recall of Ravindra Jadeja after a spell out with injury and the call-up of uncapped seamer Auqib Nabi as cover for the rested Jasprit Bumrah, who was left out of the series entirely as part of his workload management. India will also continue without Sai Sudharsan, who is nursing a toe injury, and all-rounder Washington Sundar, who was ruled out of Galle with a hamstring problem and remains unlikely to be considered for Colombo either.

India’s 15-man squad: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan.

With Sudharsan sidelined, Devdutt Padikkal is set to continue at number three, a role he cemented for himself with a warm-up century before the series began and then backed up with runs in the first Test. India’s top order otherwise picks itself, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul opening the batting, Shubman Gill at number four, and Rishabh Pant keeping wicket in the middle order. The spin-bowling all-rounder combination of Ravindra Jadeja alongside left-arm spinner Manav Suthar and leg-spinner Saransh Jain gives India significant control on surfaces that traditionally assist turn, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna lead the pace attack in Bumrah’s continued absence.

Given how well the template worked in Galle, India are widely expected to field an unchanged XI in Colombo, barring any late fitness concerns. The management will, however, be monitoring the SSC surface closely in the lead-up to the match, since a pitch that offers more assistance to seamers than Galle’s did could tempt the team think tank into freshening up the pace department.

Sri Lanka Squad: An Injury Crisis at the Top

Sri Lanka’s preparations for the Colombo Test have been complicated significantly by a string of injuries and enforced absences among their most experienced batters. Kusal Mendis, who missed the Galle Test with a hamstring injury picked up during the Lanka Premier League, remains unavailable, with head coach Gary Kirsten confirming that the wicketkeeper-batter “will not be available for a while.” Former captain Dinesh Chandimal, who was concussed on day four in Galle and had to be replaced by a substitute, is automatically ruled out under ICC concussion protocols, which mandate a minimum seven-day stand-down period. Adding to the selection headache, opener Pathum Nissanka — still working his way back from wrist surgery undergone in London in July — remains unlikely to be fit in time, despite being closer to full recovery than Mendis.

Speaking after the Galle defeat, Kirsten struck an optimistic tone about the situation despite the absentees. “We’re missing a few guys from that perspective, but it creates a good opportunity for young players to come in and stake their claim,” he said. “There are players who have got really good first-class records in this country. It’s a good opportunity for them.”

Sri Lanka Cricket had originally only named a squad for the first Test, and with the extent of the injury list becoming clear, the board has since drafted in reinforcements. Batter Kamil Mishara and all-rounder Sahan Arachchige have both been added to the squad for Colombo, joining Niroshan Dickwella, who was already brought in for Mendis and impressed with an 80 in the first innings at Galle, making his continued selection a formality. Mishara, capped in ODIs and T20Is but yet to feature in Test cricket, could be in line for a debut given the depleted batting stocks, while Pasindu Sooriyabandara — who entered the Galle Test as a concussion substitute and was dismissed for a duck — is available for selection again and may retain his place in the middle order.

Sri Lanka squad for the 2nd Test: Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Vishwa Fernando, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Sahan Arachchige, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kamindu Mendis, Milan Rathnayaka, Nishan Fernando (wk), Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Sonal Dinusha, Dilshan Madushanka, Keshara Nuwantha.

With three senior top-order batters unavailable, Sri Lanka’s batting line-up for Colombo could look markedly different and inexperienced compared to what they fielded in Galle. Dhananjaya de Silva will need his middle order — featuring Kamindu Mendis and Ramesh Mendis — to shoulder extra responsibility, while the bowling attack retains continuity, with left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who impressed with figures against India in the first Test, expected to lead the spin-bowling effort once again alongside seamers Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara.

Venue Profile: Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo

The Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, located in the leafy Cinnamon Gardens area of Colombo, is one of Sri Lankan cricket’s most storied venues. Established in 1952, the ground has a modest capacity of around 10,000 but carries outsized historical significance as one of the island’s oldest and most traditional Test arenas, having hosted its first men’s Test back in March 1984 against New Zealand. It last staged a men’s Test in June 2025, when Sri Lanka faced Bangladesh, and has also been a regular venue for white-ball cricket over the decades, including hosting matches during this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Historically, the SSC has been a fortress for the hosts. Of the Test matches played there through the years, Sri Lanka have won roughly half, with a healthy share of draws and only a small handful of losses, making it statistically one of their better home venues. India’s own record here has been mixed across previous tours, with wins as well as a draw in past visits.

Pitch Report: Turn Expected, Especially as the Match Progresses

The SSC surface has traditionally been characterised as a pitch that starts with something for the seamers up front before increasingly assisting spin as the Test wears on — a pattern that becomes especially pronounced from the third day onward. Reports from the ground ahead of the match reinforce that the surface conditions at the SSC have historically rewarded sides with a strong and varied spin attack, a factor both team managements are expected to weigh heavily in their final XI selections.

For India, that plays directly into the hands of a squad already built around a three-pronged spin-bowling all-rounder unit in Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain, alongside the wrist-spin option of Kuldeep Yadav. Given how effective the spin-heavy template was in Galle, do not be surprised if India again lean on turn to control the game through the middle overs of each innings, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna look to exploit any early seam movement with the second new ball.

Sri Lanka, for their part, will be banking on their own spin duo of Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis to trouble an Indian batting line-up that has generally handled turning conditions well over the years. Batting first is likely to be the preferred option for whichever captain wins the toss, given that the surface tends to deteriorate and turn more sharply as the match progresses into days four and five — meaning a substantial first-innings total could prove decisive in a low-scoring, spin-dominated contest.

Head-to-Head at the SSC

India’s tour history at the Sinhalese Sports Club stretches back decades and includes some memorable results for the visitors. India last played a Test at this ground in March 2022, when they thrashed Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs, following an innings-and-239-run victory at the same venue in a Test back in 2017. Those two lopsided wins form part of a broader pattern in which India’s spin-bowling depth has repeatedly proven decisive on this ground, even though the SSC has generally been considered a happy hunting ground for Sri Lanka against most other opponents. With India once again fielding a spin-heavy attack and arriving in red-hot form after Galle, history at this venue will offer them plenty of encouragement.

Key Players to Watch

Ravindra Jadeja (India): Back in the squad after injury, Jadeja’s control with the ball on a surface expected to turn, combined with his lower-order batting, makes him one of India’s most valuable players heading into this Test.

Devdutt Padikkal (India): Promoted to number three in Sai Sudharsan’s absence, Padikkal enters the match on the back of a warm-up hundred and will be eager to convert starts into a big score against a weakened Sri Lankan attack.

Prabath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka): The left-arm spinner remains Sri Lanka’s most potent wicket-taking threat and will need to lead from the front if the hosts are to bowl India out twice on a ground that traditionally favours his style of bowling.

Niroshan Dickwella (Sri Lanka): Having earned a Test recall after a three-year absence and made 80 in his comeback innings at Galle, Dickwella is now a key senior presence in a Sri Lankan top order stripped of experience.

Kamil Mishara (Sri Lanka): If selected, Mishara would be handed a Test debut in the most testing of circumstances — a must-win match against a rampant Indian side — after previously representing Sri Lanka only in white-ball cricket.

What a Result in Colombo Would Mean

A victory or even a draw for India at the SSC would be enough to secure their first Test series win in Sri Lanka since 2017, a result that would go some way towards repairing a red-ball record that has otherwise been patchy through this WTC cycle, including a drawn series against England and a home series defeat to South Africa. For Sri Lanka, anything short of an outright win in Colombo ends their hopes of squaring the series and will raise fresh questions about the depth of their batting stocks at a time when several senior names are unavailable through injury. The result in Colombo will also have a bearing on both teams’ progress in the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 standings, with India currently placed in the middle of the table and needing to win the bulk of their remaining fixtures to stay in contention for a place in the final.

Match Details at a Glance

• Match: 2nd Test, India tour of Sri Lanka 2026
• Venue: Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo
• Dates: August 23–27, 2026 (five-day Test)
• Start time: 10:00 AM local time / 10:00 AM IST
• Series score: India lead 1-0
• India (c): Shubman Gill
• Sri Lanka (c): Dhananjaya de Silva

What to Watch For

With Sri Lanka missing three of their most experienced batters and India carrying the momentum of a resounding win in Galle, the hosts face an uphill task to level the series on home soil. A great deal will hinge on how Sri Lanka’s reshuffled top order — potentially featuring a Test debut for Kamil Mishara — copes with the pressure of a must-win match, and on whether Devdutt Padikkal and India’s middle order can once again capitalise on conditions that are expected to increasingly favour spin as the Test moves into its closing stages. A series win for India would extend their dominance in this WTC cycle assignment, while anything less than victory for Sri Lanka would hand the tourists a first Test series triumph on Sri Lankan soil since 2017.